Iron Hearts
by PotionInMotion
Summary: After the mess that became the civil war accords,Tony Stark just about gives up on life. Finally the life of partying no longer suits him, after spending so long stuck inside the metal suit and the avengers. After leaving yet another Stark Gala he's kidnapped and put in yet another cave but this time with no explanation of who or why. And then there the girl in there with him.
1. Chapter 1

He didn't know the whole story of how it happened, which is probably a good show of where it started. but somehow he had ended up in yet another cave, with a girl still unconscious no older than 23 at most.  
...,... 45 hours earlier ...

Tony Stark smiled as the camera flashed at yet another gala, his bruises seemingly nonexistent from when he and Rogers met up face to face. they hadn't seen each other since, the cell phone he had been given still went untouched. meanwhile he flashed a smile at Parker to the side, the nearly sixteen year old flashing one in return. this gala was the same as all of the others for Stark Industries with drinks dancing, and as Tony was getting used to no Pepper and no Avengers. For the foreseeable future the avengers were nonexistent. Captain America, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and Hawkeye were all still hiding in wakanda doing god knows what with the king. Tony was still being iron man, though the accords made that easier. The accords were working slightly, seeing as they were made for more than one person. He was doing one mission a week, two if he tried hard enough. The missions had to have help though, seeing as he was still one man even with the suit on. Spider man, though he was on the table as Oversight had recommended, Tony was clear in waiting at least a year or so before going down that road.  
Rolling his shoulders he walked over to the bar saying simply 'give me the best you got' handing them a few fifties and taking what they gave him sipping it nodding. Rhodes who would usually come to these things with him had physical therapy tonight, so naturally Tony said he could handle one night by himself. and so it went, small talk, dancing with multiple partners, drinking, and repeating the cycle. he was only 38 so all the ladies still saw him as a bachelor (I made him younger in this story just because). Seeing no one of interest at all, until Christine evearheart came over this time with no pen and paper just a sympathetic smile  
"Hello Tony." she said bitter sweetly  
"Brown" he said in return as she ordered herself a drink before turning her attention back to him.  
"What brings you here?" He asked noting her lack of a recorder.  
"Sadly not my journalism" she turned and waved her hand just slightly in the direction of a certain young man  
"My fiance, he works for Intel and got invited."  
He smiled as her fiance smiled at them eyes twinkling.  
"I was hoping I could get him to hop ships. he's an expert in design, and I interned him when he was in school so"  
Christine nodded, "yes he's told me all about interning at SI."  
They sat in silence for a few moments, just staring at the lights.  
"I'd like to apologize "  
He searched his mind for whatever for, and could find nothing.  
"What for?"  
She started up at him greenish blue eyes glinting in regret  
"For being so cruel to you eight years ago. The day you were kidnapped to go to Afghanistan, and basically become iron man, I had nothing to offer you but bitterness."  
He chuckled, "Its fine, before what happened next I probably deserved it."  
She shook her head "but I did it again a year later siding with Hammer who ended up being a jackass."  
He laughed at this "he was"  
"Even though you were saving the world while dying of palladium poisoning."  
He choked on his drink  
"W-what?"  
She smiled slightly "word gets around fast."  
The bartender gave the lady her drink, which Tony once again rolled out a few more fifties for it.  
"What are you trying to say Brown"  
She stepped slightly closer "what I'm saying is I'm sorry. and that you did the right thing with the accords, it's good work that your doing. its not your fault if half the used to be avengers seem like they had something up their arses"  
Then she leaned forward and hugged him, which Tony awkwardly returned  
" Have a nice life "  
He smiled as she left with the click of her heels to her fiance, him kissing her cheek as they met each other. Yep, he was paying for the wedding that it was eleven, and even though the fun doesn't start until after midnight he was really done with the party. done with the ball gowns, the etiquette, all the people that only saw him as one thing or the other. the man before iron man or the one after/right now. Saw him as the end to the great era if the avengers, it the superhero still trying to save the world. So he sipped his drink small chatted some more and was truly not living at all. all the women all looked the same to him. either equally to Pepper, party girls, old, or taken. He missed the world before iron man in these moments, if only slightly. when he picked up girls like cars, and had no quims about it. Now, not so much between his anxiety, invisible butler, hero stuff, and the nightlight in his chest. Not to mention though he was getting better, Vision still tended to walk through walls which while the man was used to it, many girls wouldn't be. not to mention he was still a heartbroken lump of clay because of Wanda still. he sent her a cell phone, she sent him all the stuff he'd given her. Honestly even though their crash was kind of totally his fault, even he couldn't blame her for leaving.

So with great superheroing comes great celibacy, which was how things had gone since him and pepper split. Even worse was how okay he was with the split, mostly because of the freedom they had both acquired because of it. The freedom that allowed him to walk into the chilly parking lot at least an hour before the event was over. everything seemed normal, humming AC/DC while fumbling with his watch to help him find the car. as he found the right one, and walked over to the car things got exciting.  
A dart came out of nowhere stabbing him in the shoulder injecting him with something not nice. he hissed making a feral sound reaching back and pulling it out looking at it  
"The hell" he asked no one  
in that moment he threw the dart into the car locking it tight enough and putting the settings so no one would be able to lift or open it regardless. he'd be proud of its capabilities, if it weren't for the small factor that he was loosing consciousness. fast. the world got dizzy as he regretted leaving the party early, insuring that it would never happen again. he thought about Christine Evearheart and what she'd said about the accords and how nice she was, which was the last thing in his mind before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

When I came back to myself the only thing I knew was a nuclear headache. not to mention as I kept coming back to my senses, the cold dry air. my body felt stiff and hard as a rock, just as all of it did. my throat was dry as the Sahara. not being totally convinced that this wasn't a complete result of bad drinking, I slowly opened my eyes. the lights were dim so I'm guessing that it was night. I blinked knowing I was looking at a ceiling. a ceiling made out of rock. the pieces out together as I placed last night together. the gala, the drinking, Christine, celibacy, and the dart. someone had kidnapped me, and put me in a cave. The aura that Afghanistan had filled me, water boarding, oh no. I felt my breathing go berserk, as I began hyperventilating. the dark cave, Yinsen, pepper, oh captain America. it was slightly chilly but enough to remind me of Siberia. Bucky Barnes trying to take out my reactor, Steve just straight up going in to kill it as a whole.  
My world had turned into a nightmare, and I longed for a glass of scotch, whiskey, wine something to calm my nerves. my panic attack felt like pins and needles. I felt the blood rush, as nothing but fear seemed to run through my body. A tear rolled down the side of my face, then I heard a whimper. I would've thought it was me but it was far too high pitched. turning to the direction of the sound my blood ran cold.  
Laying down across from me was a girl that was young, college girl young. I could tell she was deep in sleep, but as another whimper came out of her I was suddenly aware that we were in this together. by the size of her muscles and body as a whole, whoever put me down here wasn't her. then I saw it in her chest, angry at myself for not noticing it right off the bat. A car battery around where her heart should be.  
I jumped up slowly but the dizziness caught me for a moment and I had to take a few moments to breath. I came back quickly though and ran to her side. yep it was a car battery, a sob cracked through me. carefully I opened her shirt, doing my best not to look at anything she wouldn't like me looking at. Her bra and shirt were torn where they had put it, meaning it was put there by the people who snatched her. there were scrapes, cuts, and bruises all around her body. Her kidnapping was a lot harsher than mine, I saw where the dart went in into her neck no doubt putting her to sleep longer than me. I brushed her long hair away from her face. gosh she was too young for this to have happened. feeling around nearly all of her ribs could be seen and felt. poor girl.  
Sitting up I knew that she would need an arc reactor, and then I would need to replace the palladium in it. wouldn't want her getting palladium poisoning. but how, who knows how long we would be wherever we were. I looked around, we seemed to be in a bedroom in the cave, with two small cots with thin mattresses on top of them. the 'room' was small and obviously was only meant for the two of us. I saw no cameras in here though, what did they want from us?  
Warily I left the girl, knowing I would need to come back quickly to check on her state later. She needed all of those cuts and scrapes checked out, not to mention the messy problem of the car battery inside her. Walking out of the room I noticed that the cave was large and slightly furnished. kind of like the really fancy TV show about weird houses.  
Their was a tiny kitchen with an refrigerator, a gas stove usually used for camping, and a faucet. then opposite to that corner was a ton of boxes. like someone was prepared to move in, but they were just left there. then one blanket, with some sort of thing that could connect cots so that they would be like a queen cot. walking over I grabbed the first box and tore it open what do I find, instant mash potatoes. Cringing in disgust I keep going. all the food we have is either instant, freeze dried, or stuff like cereal. that's all we have. we have a lot of it though, and some seeds, so their has to be a garden room somewhere in the cave that I can't find. I kept going though, being bored out of my skull as I kept finding the boring food. we had enough of it to last us at least two years, maybe more. It was a fact that terrified me. How long they intended to keep us here, I had no idea. at least in Afghanistan I knew why that had me in Yinsen, a fact they made fairly clear. especially when I questioned what they wanted. further down I found basic things like toilet paper, soap, conditioner things that for basic necessities. Like with the food it all came in bulk, and were the kinds you'd find in motels and stuff. Basic t-shirts, shorts, and underwear came next. It all resembled the great needs stuff, trying to imitate the name brand companies that just would kind of suck and no one would buy them. genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, now living not even to the name brand standards. looking around this 'room' of the cave I saw no cameras or any other monitoring devices, once again. why was I here?  
But I kept going through the boxes having nothing else I was ready to do yet. Eventually I found something useful, kind of. tools for making stuff, but they were all plastic. strong, yet all at once useful. then I found something else that gave clues to who ever took us. they stored little blocks of metal, palladium, and anything I would need to recreate another mini arc reactor for the girl. speaking of which, I got up and went back so that I could check on her condition. glancing at her she was still sleeping, I took a breath of relief. going back I was wondering many things one being who the heck this girl was. I'd never heard of or seen before in my life. I was tony stark, I was iron man, people knew who I was, and knew what I was capable. but this girl, if she ended up anywhere important I'd know about it. I'd hacked every database that I could get to no matter how unrecommendable it made me. but sitting down again I noticed the cool temperature constantly surrounding where we were. It wasn't changing, and I had been up for about four hours if I was counting right. because I had been drugged and we were in a cave, my body clock was ruined. I could feel it getting colder though which would be bad if it kept going. out of all the things they packed us warm clothes and blankets weren't one of them. In fact we only had one blanket to share in between the two of us. This could be a problem depending on how it was when the girl woke up. this poor girl was probably going to take this even worse than I was. Finally though I hit the jackpot. medical equipment, band-aids, wipes, every kind of bandage. grabbing them I went back to the presumed bedroom where the poor girl was. kneeling at her side I carefully began fixing and bandaging her. much less to say there was a lot to bandage. she was especially thin and frail looking with deep bags under her eyes I noticed. the world had her exhausted, and I guessed she'd keep sleeping because of it even after the drugs wore off. Paying more attention than when I first say her I saw how short she was naturally, petite even. I had never really paid attention to the shorter girls, but once you get rid of the exhaustion and scrapes, adding maybe twenty pounds to her frame she was goddess like. Even with the traits that might need to be worked on she was beautiful. and once again, young. it was bad for me to feel this way about a girl this young who I hadn't spoken a word to or even see the color of her eyes. I was bandaging her all over, her soft baby like skin like silk on my rough calloused ones. it was intimate in ways one would never understand, I could feel the heat radiating off of her.  
She had a seemingly endless amount if scrapes and bruises, even more so on her upper body, kind of explaining the arc reactor. have to do something to keep the shrapnel out of her heart. It took hours to take care of the scrapes that I did and still she had more. what had they done to take her, I wasn't aware, but it was awful. when I was finally done, it was getting colder and colder by the second letting me know the sun was probably down in the cave with no heating in it we had. being the gentleman I was I gave her the one blanket we had, curling up on my cot feeling hungry,worried, and cold falling asleep in my first day of captivity.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up again an unknown amount of time later I was well rested kind of. meaning my back was stiff, and it was freezing. I breathed out, seeing the moisture of it as I did so it was so cold. thinking fast I looked over to the girl who was still sleeping peacefully, with the blanket over her protecting her from the cold. Once again, kind of protecting her from the cold. Her cheeks were bright red, and I could see her breaths too. Carefully, I gently put the back of my hand up on her forehead. Yep, she was cold but not so much that I should be worried. on accompanying the cold, I was starving. Honestly it was sad how used to being in this condition, from everything that had happened. So I walked into the 'bathroom' which was newly discovered as of now. It was like the others with a bathtub made out of stone, with a simple shower head that was actually pretty nice. it would be even nicer if I wasn't being held captive in a cave, for reasons that were unknown with a girl I didn't know. the toilet was once again a basic run of the mill toilet seat nothing special or particular of it whatsoever. I was hating whoever took us even more and more. the only thing giving us any privacy were two cheap curtains. one for the shower, the other for the room as a whole. this person seriously chose the cheapest way to hold me mysteriously. after using it I left, going into the kitchen. once again the only thing I had was a faucet and a camping stove. I noticed the bad sofa we had, and the one rug the people let us have next to it, I was sick and tired of being here. I walked over to where the food was grabbing two instant oatmeal's. I turned on the stove grabbing one of three pots we had and filling it with water, as much as it would shock people I did know how to cook. I heard some movement in the bedroom as I finished making it. I didn't know whether to be excited that I wasn't going to be by myself, or sad that this was the reality that I had already lived in and got a day to get used to it. I slowly walked into the bedroom where she was waking up. even with all the sleep she had gotten, their were deep bags in her eyes.  
She flinched when she heard me come in, though I was having Casper footsteps. Slowly with caution she turned her head to me, big brown eyes peering at me in fear confusion and the daze of just being woken up.  
I raised my hands slightly in a 'have no fear kind of way'  
"Good morning"  
Her eyebrows twitched seeing me  
"Tony stark?" she asked eyes widening even more  
I smirked the slightest bit.  
"In the flesh."  
She nodded as if coming to terms with it.  
"Where are we"  
The big questions coming first just like I knew they would  
"A cave."  
"Where?"  
"No idea."  
"How'd we get here."  
I looked at her carefully  
"I was drugged and kidnapped while leaving a gala. You?" I questioned  
Her eyes scrunched up,  
"I'm not sure, it's kind of a daze."  
I shrugged, she had just woken up from a very drugged induced sleep.  
"Who took us?"  
"That's what I'd like to know"  
Then she started crying, yep she was going into shock. I ran back, grabbed her still warm oatmeal and handed it to the girl who looked and took it  
"Is there any way out?" she asked as she started eating.  
I shook my head "none that I could find."  
This just made it worse as the look of devastation got deeper.  
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you."  
She looked up eyes still full of tears as she wiped them off  
"I-Isabella swan, I go to the university by my apartment."  
Yes, she was a college student.  
"How old are you?" I asked, not having been able to tell  
"Twenty, almost twenty one"  
Wow, younger than I'd expected. nodding I shrugged again  
"Well I'm tony stark"  
She looked at me a certain glimpse in her eyes  
"I know who you are, everyone knows who you are."  
Cocky, this was gunna be great  
"Really"  
She nodded "because iron man, stark industry stuff, and the fact that your names on your building."  
I laughed out loud "I forgot about that."  
I got a small smile out of her that was short lived and honestly just really depressing. The shock had her looking worse than before, the bags under her eyes even more apparent. about I'm guessing an hour later I had coaxed the girl into coming out, when she found out it was actually a cave she winced.  
Showing her all the stuff they had given us, I'd explained that the tools and spoons they gave us worked well enough to do there job, they were too dull to do anything.  
"Cupcake" I asked,  
She nodded accepting the nickname  
"Did you have the car battery in your chest before."  
She shook her head "only know"  
"In order to keep you comfortable I'm gunna make you one like the one in my chest but a little different because of the tools we have."  
Getting the edge of one of the rocks off one of the corners she began writing on the wall what we had  
3 pots  
3 pans  
A faucet  
225 bars of soap  
And so forth, because she's way smarter than me before I even know it. counting out all that we had, we had about four years worth of food if we ate it every day and ate like 5 meals every day. it was something that scared Isabella just about as much as it scared me by the expression of fear on her face. then came the seeds, they were special seeds where like all the other instant stuff, ya just add water. put it in soil, give them water, they'd grow giving us an unexplained amount of food. This kind of food that they grew was especially gross, because of the no sun thing, so the two of us agreed that it would be for the best to keep those to the side. the constant coolness kept in the cave, so we both spent the day in the uncomfortable but bearable jackets the captors had given us. Near the end, Isabella went over to one of the endless wall spaces and drew out a thirty day calendar  
"Do you remember today's date?" she asked  
I shook my head "I think it might've been August or"  
"September. We'll say from here on out, today is September first."  
She put above the calendar in fancy calligraphy 'September' and checked off the first box. then we brushed our teeth and stuff, and went to bed. The cold came just as it did last night, and I told Isabella that it would only be getting worse. I said she should get the blanket permanently because she was a skinny toothpick and nineteen, and I was a fully grown man who could take the cold. She promptly responded saying we would take turns, in a fashion that I couldn't argue with.  
Then I got her to take the blanket for the night, and we went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

After a week and a half, Isabella was actually worrying me. I had been able to busy myself with making her arc reactor, but she didn't have much to do. She handed me tools, but otherwise stared at the ceiling in a blank stare. Her catatonic state got me, but I couldn't shake her out of it regardless. I understood the shock perfectly, she had just been kidnapped from the life she knew without warning and put in a cave with a strange man. She had told me little things, like how classes were about a month in and she had been studying way too hard for the exams. the way she described it, she didn't have that much of a social life. Just school, studying, and a lot of working. She'd rather die than get loans, so she worked three jobs and had two roommates that she didn't really know though they had all lived together for two years. She hoped that she noticed when Isabella didn't return, but wasn't really sure. near the end of the week though, she died of boredom enough that she got out the soil they had given us that was already fertilized and stuff so we could just plant the crappy seeds they gave us. Which is what she was doing right now as I was waiting for the stove to heat up enough that it would work. we were sacrificing a pan and a pot for this but we'd agreed her life and the at most state of it we could do the sacrifice.  
"Precious" I said putting in yet another stick of metal to melt into the pan. we'd smeared the pot down in Crisco, olive oil, and soap and were hoping for the best. we were also sacrificing a cup which I'do molded for the shape of the reactor on the size of the battery still inside her.  
"Yep" she called from across the wall of the cave  
"Hand me a thing of palladium."  
Walking over with garden gloves on she did so, her tiny fingers clenching the thing that held all of them together.  
"Thank you princess, now you can go back to the little house in the prairie"  
She sighed nodding going back. Today she was wearing sweat pants and a normal blank green t-shirt and a jacket. It was similar to what she wore most days, though from what I was figuring we'd have to start layering up soon. it was pretty chilly as of now, and at night we didn't even need a refrigerator because of how cold it got. It was early September and I could feel it getting colder, and who knows how long we'd be down here. If it kept getting colder as it was now, soon taking turns with the blanket wouldn't be an option and we'd have to share it at the least. Which might end up being another problem. Guess what else I found out though. Isabella is totally single.  
She's said the last relationship she was in was when she was seventeen, but ending abruptly when the boy abandoned her right after her eighteenth birthday. I cursed the man, Isabella was literally one of the kindest most beautiful people I had ever met. Not to mention she was smart to, having skipped most of pre-graduate during high school through AP classes and community college classes. Had next to no idea what she wanted but knew a little bit about everything.  
I could almost say the same thing about me at that age except that I was drunk and sleeping with everyone. Isabella was still very much a virgin, while I was a well known really not a virgin. But she was gorgeous with the beautiful big dark chocolate brown doe eyes, to her hair that was getting longer everyday that went down to her shoulders. Her heavenly smooth peach porcelain like skin that I actually wanted quite a bit to get tan so I didn't have to worry so much. We were both going to get really pale in this cave though.  
Behind all the beauty though, she looked very unhealthy. the bags under her eyes hadn't lightened that much, I could still see her ribs and some other bones. She told me she went to Dartmouth, which kind of explains the pale skin but I feel like she was a bit too pale. But we were trapped in the cave, the other two I could help her with but there wasn't much you could do about pale skin when there wasn't that much sunlight.  
I was glad she was doing something other than staring into oblivion which seemed to be one of her favorite things. Gardening would give her something to do if not just temporary. with nothing but instant food, we would have some other things making us unhealthy so the vitamins would have to actually be taken, and Isabella said that she could find a way to hide the things that grew in with the garden she'd put in our food. I had been kidnapped multiple times as a child for ransom, not to mention my prolonged stay in Afghanistan. My mental state was a lot better at handling this, but from her behavior this was Isabella's first rodeo. I wasn't at all surprised, most normal people would spend there whole lives never being kidnapped or being near a bomb, or being held captive. This kind of thing could shake someone to the core as it was doing to the girl I was with right now. Having your whole life ripped from under you, it was taking its toll on her. She already had trust issues from what I could tell, and bring stuck down here with me wasn't helping. I wish badly that I could make it easier, talking helped but she wasn't good at doing that.  
But I couldn't think about that anymore. the stove had _finally_ heated up enough to the part where I could do something which was kind of dangerous. I carefully put the cup mold in the ice water and took a wadded up t-shirt holding to the handle to pour the melted metal into to mold. quickly I began putting the previously prepared palladium where it was supposed to go and pouring the metal over that too. the I sunk it into the freezing water pouring some of it.It would be some time before it was ready to put into her the wires were connected though so it would do it's job protecting her heart.  
"Woo!" I called  
Isabella walked over to the sink washing her hands signalizing she was done gardening for the day.  
"What happened?"  
"I finished" she smiled big  
"Yay, now what."  
"Now we wait for it to cool, and do the biggest trust exercise of all time replacing the car battery with it. then you should be good for the next couple months, and we'll go from there."  
She looked especially happy, which was nice all things considered.  
"I can't wait. the battery is always either too hot or too cold and it bothers me."  
I smiled at her descriptions of everything.  
"Yes it must be a joy. Then when we get out whenever that is, I'll have to replace it with the element. until then though we'll live with this."  
She nodded  
"Will it do anything to me."  
I shook my head "I was much more careful with this one than I was with my palladium one. I made it special so there's next to no chance that you'll get palladium poisoning like I did."  
Turning to her I smirked "all that'll happen is that you'll have a night light in your chest."  
I went back doing a few things when I felt her come over and give me an awkward hug from the back and peck my cheek,  
"Thank you, Tony."  
I grabbed her hand that was on my shoulder squeezing it lightly.  
"I'd do it again for you."  
Then I let it go and she walked off as usual to the bedroom to rest. I felt myself gulp, oh gosh this twenty year old college student was getting to me. As sad as it was that one interaction was as close as I got to her since I cleaned her wounds back when she was still unconscious from the drugs.


	5. Chapter 5

So I'm not exactly sure what happened with the last update, but this is what was supposed to go up instead of what did.

A month into our stay it was clear that we weren't going to be leaving anytime soon. That we were going to be stuck in this cave for an unprecedented amount of time for reasons that neither of us knew. Isabella had turned twenty one a few weeks into the cave, and I made a very strong point in my mind that we would redo the celebrations once we got out. Atlantic city, Vegas, Mesquite, heck even London it didn't matter she got to pick. All I knew is that we were drinking to the Empire State Building and dancing harder than anyone would ever think. Another thing, Isabella wasn't only a virgin, she was a virgin to alcohol and drugs too.  
She was still slightly in her shell but I had broken most of the shell down. She gardened a lot, I melted stuff and colored in it. We were still living off of the instant food and beans because that's all that'd grown in yet. Isabella had told me more and more about her ex boyfriend and I hated him more and more. apparently the breakup happened two days after his brother had gone nuts at her eighteenth both . He had brought ten her to the Forrest behind her house and said he didn't want her, and left her and then him and his family left town. Also when he left her I think she was in shock because she said she kept walking and walking looking for him until she fainted. I made another point in my mind to find this douche and make him aware of the events.  
Replacing the car battery with an arc reactor had been a beautiful experience and had helped smash the wall that Isabella had.  
(Flashback)  
"Alright so your sure?" she asked again  
I was bringing over the arc reactor to put it in, getting it ready. I was going to do a better job than Pepper did when she put my reactor in.  
I nodded "for like the fifth time, I'm sure."  
She looked me in the eyes looking like she was going to cry. That had been happening quite a few times the past but getting used to being stuck in a cave and the stress I expected she had claustrophobia which really wasn't helping. I sighed at this reaction to so many things nowadays, but it showed her mind and body making attempts to adjust.  
"You'll be fine alright, I know what I'm doing. I have one of these in my chest to bells."  
This calmed her, so I unbuttoned a few buttons of her shirt and spread it just widely enough to get a good look at the car battery. I saw it in her chest and it make me wince, as it was turning the skin around it purple.  
"Which is good, because the battery is going all virus on your body." I said quickly.  
Slowly I took the car battery out of her chest making her breath hitch.  
"Hurry tony, I can feel it."  
I reached in there and grabbed the wires I was supposed to, connecting them to the ones on the reactor. With no hesitation I put the small contraption in position before sliding it into her chest.  
"There"  
She sighed "okay"  
"Do you want a sticker honey?" I said in a mockingly sweet voice.  
Laughing she jumped off the counter  
"Hell no"  
"But you were such a good patient."  
I hugged her from the back, then she turned around and hugged me back  
"Thank you, Tony."  
(End of flashback)  
Yes, breaking down the wall was a joy, and I was still convinced Isabella was an angel in disguise.  
It was getting nothing but colder in the cave as the long days and nights rolled on. Our calendar showed it was mid November so that was what we expected. We had given up on taking turns with the blanket during a week where it got particularly cold. In the cold of morning we realized we weren't able to make enough heat by ourselves. Remember the contraption that connected the cots together. Ya we used that, it was awkward the first few nights especially to an awkward Isabella who has never slept next to anyone in seemingly ever. I assured her I wouldn't do anything she didn't want, and to tell me if she got too uncomfortable. So she layed down as far away from me as possible but the colder it got, the closer she got. by the morning we were spooning, warming each other up with our body heat making it warmer than either of us could really remember. It was a position so innocent and cute, that I could have been convinced that we were in love. Isabella was the kindest person in the universe always asking how I was, and making sure I got the fare share of my life story out. Once during a more exhaustively cold morning without noticing my numb hands had gotten slightly burned while grabbing the pot of milk to put in the oatmeal I was officially done with. She had promptly panicked, made me sit down and take care of the burn herself with the shitty bandages we had to work with. I was fine of course, but she wouldn't be so sure until she had taken care of me herself. Luckily all of her wounds had been taken care of, and she now remembered that her kidnapping had something to do with a car crash in the middle of nowhere. Her body wasn't gaining any weight, it was arguably losing some. The food sucked, that was clear enough. But it didn't have as much calories as the actual versions of them did and the limited options made eating creatively hard. We were both sick of oatmeal and cream of wheat, of the healthy cereals that were gross. Instant Mac and cheese that wasn't from the name brand wasn't any better. The beans that had grown in were kind of good, but they were also kind of gross because of the kind of beans they were. Neither I nor Isabella could tell what kind of beans they were but they sucked.  
Little did we know, we had something to look forward to.


	6. Chapter 6

It happened the day before thanksgiving. Isabella was trying her hardest to make something somewhat appetizing for the two of us, but we didn't have a stove which made that hard. Ever she persisted, quite a few things had grown in from the garden a few weeks ago, and the things she hasn't reburied in the hopes of a really good Christmas she was using to make thanksgiving. I told her she didn't have to, but she was convinced that as the one of us that actually knew how to cook she could make it happen, and I believed in her. we had grown a good amount of of peas, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, string beans, and teeny tiny celeries. So at we're guessing around 9:30 that morning he showed up with a pop terrifying Isabella. She was already awake and making breakfast for today, and dinner for tomorrow. Loki popped in, yes you heard that right Loki of Jotunheim and Asgard has shown up in the middle of our little living room in the cave we were being held captive.  
Upon seeing Isabella there, he said as chivalrous as Thor "why hello little miss"  
In his thick accent.  
She promptly froze and turned around, I only heard her shriek. I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when I heard it, and the clatter that followed.  
"I'm sorry little miss, I swear I didn't mean to frighten you." he said trying to calm her down. Isabella may have been more resilient now, but anything could scare her these days. A God showing up out of nowhere in a cave that we had no way in or out of was no exception.  
I walked in seeing him, which was nonsense in my mind.  
"Reindeer games, how'd you get here."  
Turning around he smiled, as if he was trying to get me to not kill him which is probably how I looked at this point.  
"Ah Stark, how good it is to see you." I walked over silently to Isabella not saying another word to him. I whispered to her in a next to nothing tone to go to the bedroom, and she nodded heading there.  
When she was going I simply looked at Loki for a few seconds before saying  
"What the hell"  
"It's good to see you as well man of iron."  
He said cheekily  
"The last time I saw you, you threw me out my window."  
We walked around each other like we were two Jedi's about to duel.  
"And we were in your tower, and you were seemingly about forty pounds heavier than now."  
I smirked at him "are you complimenting my loosing weight, because if you are I'd offer you a drink if I had one and carefully inform you that I'm happy you noticed the change."  
He shook his head "not at all, on the contrary you were already skinny then, how your far too underweight."  
I walked over and poured myself a glass of the piss weak orange juice we had.  
"Well your majesty, that's what happens  
when someone holds you captive."  
He looked solemn for a few moments  
"I am not unaware stark."  
Then it was quiet for a few peaceful seconds.  
"And the girl?" He questioned  
"Isabella, what about her." I asked in return.  
"Why was she so scared when I showed up."  
I rolled my eyes "we've been in this cave for three months with no one except each other for company, we don't know who took either of us or why. You tried to take over the world a few years ago, you see where this is leading."  
"Is she thinking I'm the one who put you two down in this cave."  
I shrugged "I'm not totally sure you haven't."  
"Well I wasn't the one that trapped you and that girl down here."  
"Good to know."  
I cut up a few potatoes putting them in the pot where another few were boiling.  
"Why are you here Loki?"  
He walked around the living room  
"My brother is getting worried, he enlisted the help of your other friends who enlisted me. they're all worried about you, and upon seeing you so am I."  
I scoffed "why, most of you have tried to kill me. and once again, you threw me out a window. So why do you care."  
He lifted up my shirt looking concerned at what he saw  
"I can see a few of your bones, and your far too pale concerning how I last saw you."  
I nodded "I told you Rudolph its the captivity thing, you should look at Isabella she's even worse off than I am. Tends to ruin your health."  
He groaned in annoyance "I know you do not trust me stark, I wasn't expecting you to in the least. but I am concerned for you and the fawn you are trapped with. Because not only did you spare me, but you stopped me from doing something I would forever regret."  
"What?, there's like fifty things in my head but I can't focus on one."  
"Everyone is probably correct, but I was prepared to kill my brother, all your former friends, and the way I am the whole universe. but I didn't, instead you went through a portal to another dimension."  
I choked on my drink. he patted my back in a comforting way when I started coughing my lungs out.  
"What do you mean by that"  
He sighed in an almost caring way  
"Your worth all the stress. the girl as well from what I've seen."  
I looked at him with a glimmer of hope in my eyes.  
"Will you get us out."  
He shook his head sorrowfully, making my heart sink to temperatures as cold as the cave.  
"I'm afraid that's not possible. I barely had enough energy to get enough magic to allow myself to come this far, I won't have enough to bring more than myself out of here."  
I patted his back  
"It's alright, I just want to see the outside world again is all."  
He nodded "I'll work as fast as I can to get you two out."  
"You better"  
Loki looked in the direction of where the bedroom was in the cave, which wasn't very far  
"Will the miss want me to inform my brother and his companions of her."  
I shrugged "ask her"  
Then calling out "Cupcake, you can come out now. He isn't gonna maim you or anything."  
Slowly like a chick emerging in the morning she timidly peeked her head out of the ledge and came out. She was so short, that her stature made her a petite little china doll.  
I smiled at her gesturing to the out of this world man in the den  
"This is Loki, he's not from anywhere important but he's not from here."  
Her round eyes narrowed "didn't you try to take over the world or something."  
The god in questioned did his best to look as harmless and friendly as he could for her sake. Would hate for him to scare bells off again.  
"I know and he did. but he's okay now alright, he tries to do anything and I swear he's gone."  
She nodded as timidly as the way she had walked in. From what she had told me, being social and welcoming and trusting weren't qualities she was the most specializing in.  
I gestured to the god who put his hand out  
"Hello, I'm Loki"  
Looking at him in the eyes with a warm look in her brown round ones that could melt anyone to jelly. She took her small hand out as well, his engulfing hers as I could tell was going to happen often.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you Loki, I'm Isabella Swan."


	7. Chapter 7

In my current state of freezing and being bored out of my mind while all at once trying to fix that one stove that we had broken when we did Isabellas arc reactor. My will to live had dropped about as low was the death rate during the second stage of the demographic transition. Loki was still here, and while I knew he was going to leave at least by tonight, and at the latest early tomorrow morning but I admit. All of Isabellas beautiful love, attention, and affection were going towards him. So I sit here messing with the spatula turned into a screw driver angrily drilling a weird nail in quickly. The only good thing about being down here was Isabella and how the only people we had to pay attention to were each other and ourselves. So I got a lot of coddling and weird conversations from Isabella, always making sure I was taken care of. She was surprising maternal for a twenty one year old that had been stuck in a cave for three months, was a virgin, and had only dated one man three years ago. Also the fact that she was able to take care of me, ME. thirty something me who hadn't had anyone take care of him since I was about twelve, and was a superhero. She had been able to take care of plenty a panic attack in the sweetest most adorable caring fashion he had ever seen. It also gave him a chance to actually, y'know, take care of another human being and feel good about it. Isabella had enough emotions bottled up inside of her, all of them thick and passionate and sticking to her like hot tar. They both got to take care of each other and it was a beautiful symbiotic relationship of mutualism that he couldn't help but love it. After all the metaphorical frost bite he had endured thanks to Barnes and Noble he was grateful he had the attention of one Isabella Swan.

Then came in Loki to the picture.

Yes they had bonded quite thoroughly in the past few hours, and he could still hear them laughing quietly from where they were standing getting the makeshift picnic thing ready. Now she was telling him all about all the different jobs she had been employed in. The ones after high school horrified him about as much as me. Not to mention the amount of jobs she was working at once.

"yep, all I had to do is lay there while all of the art students drew pictures of me. It was weird at first, especially because most of them would take what I look like and make me look like either Persephone, someone who would needed an exorcist, or a dead corpse."

Now I wasn't about to go out and say I was jealous, but Loki was taking Isabella away from me. It felt weird after being accustomed to the way things were with the just the two of us in the cave together. This just got me scared for the day that we finally would get out. We'd have to live actual lives which were a bit of a daydream now after spending so long down here. Not to mention it was an occurrence that we're not sure will actually happen. We still had no idea where we were, who took us, and more importantly _why._ me and Isabella didn't have a lot in common as previously stated. Her going to Dartmouth and working a few too many jobs, with no social life,single, and to be honest not much of a life at all. Then me genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, hero, I mean then comes the fact that she's 21 and I'm 38. Normally when people are kidnapped together there is always something that connects them. She was in New Hampshire, and I was at a gala in California. It was confusing and something that no matter how hard we thought about it couldn't get a clue as to what had actually happened. So in our confusion we were trapped down here, us, two. And Loki now temporarily apparently. Speaking of the God, Loki was loving every minute of the love he was getting I could tell, but all at once who wouldn't. Isabellas endless reassuring smiles, her ability to relate or at the very least try hard to until it could kill her. It was noticed and appreciated, as the princes weird eyes looked full of what could only be described as fondness towards the girl. It was about as far as I had gotten to liking the guy when I saw that look on his face, so unlike the one that had met me in my penthouse and threw me out a window. This wasn't him, this was someone else someone nice and friendly, and was teasing Isabella so she was bursting out laughing because he had made fun of her so well that the jokes about her were funny to the punchline as well. It was nice that you could just make fun of Isabella and she would be fine with it as long as she thought it was funny too. That wasn't the point right now, the point was that my only reason for being happy was talking with a guy that tried to take over the earth. She didn't care about his past, and I couldn't call her out on that because she didn't care about that either. There wasn't any bad quality that I could tell her about because none of it could be fixed here in this cave. You only ever point out to someone there flaws because there refusing to fix them. Hers, simply couldn't be fixed. So I suffered in silence not paying attention to how much I missed talking to her, which was really really dumb, because she was right there. I guess when Loki came I would just have to deem it as practice for when we hypothetically did get out of this cave.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice calling my name

"Antonio, Anthony, Tony, Iron man." Isabella said while trying to get me out of my head and into the world where I was finally getting her attention after what seemed like a thousand years. She was coming up with every variation of my name, except for the middle one which she tended to forget a lot of the time.

"Yes, darling." I responded blushing, looking at her in the now dimming lights.

She still looked fairly tiny even when I was sitting down, making her even younger in my eyes.

"Its ready."

I turned around and there it was, actual legitimate, almost food.

"I had to mix and match almost everything to get it to work but it exists. I hope it doesn't crash and burn."

It was all set up like a table with the sporks there, the paper plates we had all decorated with the purpose of making this as nice as it could be. The food was weird looking to say the least. We did have instant mash potatoes which was good, lacking gravy, that was okay if you ignored how runny it was because that's always just how it is. There was water, because that's all we had to drink, the weird green beans, and a strange looking soup that I was both terrified and excited to have going down my throat. All of it was dysfunctional, destroyed, but all at once it screamed the sense of family. The aura of people that just belonged together, because that's how the universe set it all up. I could feel it, the bag of cats could feel it, and Isabella was just going along happily acting like this much work for the ones you love was normal. To her, I guess, it was. My parents were not the greatest parents, and while I hate how there stories ended and my mother never deserved to die the way that she did. Especially with the man who was my fathers best friend, doing the killing to her. Howard was about as screwed up as every biography, documentary, and story makes him out to be. He was simply too obsessed with finding what was deep in the ice, and wanting me to hurry up and be smart so I could help him. He called me his greatest creation in that one video, but never actually to me. Always at the pentagon. My mother had tried really hard, but she simply had other at the time seemingly more important jobs than taking care of her only child. This had never happened, thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, New years, Memorial day, no Fourth of July, or otherwise. I think back when it was a thing the Avengers probably would have had one but we were all busy dealing with our own villans at the time.

But here Isabella was having got it all ready. Had created a strange sort of warmth in the cold cave. I didn't care about Loki doing what he did before, I didn't have to. It didn't matter because,well, he made Isabella happy and suddenly to me that was all that mattered. She had taken care of both of our broken souls and made them back into wings.

I was screwed


	8. Chapter 8

I swear I didn't mean for it to happen. It wasn't supposed to happen. I had acted in a way to completely prevent this precise thing from happening. Yes I understood that she was gorgeous, and sweet, and so so smart that I could hardly believe it. But she was so young, and so good. Too good for a guy like me with my gambling, and drinking, and screw ups happening at every other corner. Then there was her perfect, only cares about her education and her family. A dream come true, with morals and on her way to a college degree. I had acted in a way to be sure that this would never occur. If we got out if the cave of course we would still be best friends for life, and I would make sure that she could get that degree without skipping meals and working until she couldn't see straight. Anything more than very good friends was dangerous. Its why Parker wore his mask, so that the ones he truly loved would never get hurt. She would be a target to everyone and no matter how hard she might try I really couldn't see her fighting. It had taken us at least two weeks to be able to get the clumsiness out of her so that she would stop getting cuts on the stone that made up all the room. She wouldn't stand a chance against any one of my enemies. I felt like a dirty old man. I was thirty eight, she was twenty one I should be better than this. I didn't want to end up like that one senator a few years back. But the way she had made me feel on thanksgiving was pretty beautiful.  
Loki had left last Monday, but not without a curious glance at me after dinner when I had my epiphany. We had gone back to our normal schedules, ignoring my feelings like someone with a biblical plague. Now though it was harder to ignore her perfect doll like features, long black naturally curly eyelashes, her straight dark brown hair that just kept growing, the pale porcelain skin with little blushes of scarlet above her cheekbones, those big forestry brown eyes looking for the secrets of the universe. Not to mention the curves though small, were there. With her little hands, toes, and adorable lips and ears, not to mention her 4'9 height she was the epitome of both beauty and cuteness. I didn't have any right to love her, nothing to put me near her level of perfection.  
But somehow I was anyway.  
"Tony, get me a towel. I kinda spilled some water on the floor." she called.  
I reached over and brought her one of the gross scratchy towels we had, as she smiled sweetly as she plopped it on the floor. Wiping up the spill her eyebrows furrowed at me and her teeny tiny hands made their way to my cheeks. I had kept shaving kind of, but a simple kitchen knife wasn't a razor so I had stubble. Her hands though small were always warm and I could feel the heat on my skin. I concentrated to keep breathing normally, as I was getting her sweet scent of cherry blossoms from her shampoo. All the beauty I was talking about was lifting up my chin to get a better look at my face. keep normal, keep normal, don't be weird, don't let them know, don't let them see.  
"Anthony?" oh gosh she was using the full name, what'd I do.  
"Are you alright, you look a little flushed." I gulped, nodding  
"Oh yeah princess I'm fine. I think I might've just been working too long."  
I saw her bite her lip, she did that a lot, and got up on her tippy toes so she was closer to my face. My heart that was protected by the reactor was pumping really hard. I could hear the beat blasting in my head as she put her palm on my forehead. It had that electric, firework feeling that they always talk about in books and movies. We weren't even kissing, or holding hands, hell only one of us actually knew why I was freaking out and it was me. Isabella had no idea of how great this in her eyes unromantic gesture of checking my temperature was making me fall even deeper in love with her by the millisecond.  
Her lips that I wanted to kiss so pad pursed and she bit them again.  
"You don't have a temperature. It might be the cold getting to you, how about you actually take a nap for a bit. You need the energy."  
Of course she wouldn't worry about herself but only me. I lightly ran my thumb under her eyes where the deep dark bags were.  
"Hon, you don't look the finest either."  
It was true to, despite the fact that she could be Miss Universe with her looks, being in a cave with as limited resources as the ones we had changed things. She was even skinnier than when we first met, and sleeping was getting rougher as it was getting colder and longer in the cave. Her mind wasn't made for these stone walls, and I knew for a fact that when this was all over she'd have an extreme case of claustrophobia. She was worn, but still breathtakingly beautiful regardless. I was still making her eat a buffet table whenever we got out though.  
She dismissed what I said  
"Tony, I'm fine I swear. I'll come join you once I've cleaned everything up. You rest and I'll be there soon."  
I looked at her just as deeply  
"Dinner can wait, you look exhausted. I sleep next to you and I know that you're not sleeping."  
"And you know why I'm not."  
See, seems like this boyfriend really did do a number on her. In ways I hadn't had my heart broken hard enough to understand. He haunted her, way down in this cave. Isabella had told me that it hadn't happened that much during college because she was always busy doing something, and when she was went to sleep she was always too totally exhausted to dream. Now though in the cold mostly empty cave, she had a lot of time to think. Her thoughts tended to waiver to the one person that she has given the ability to break her heart, and he did tremendously. Taking away every comfort from under her when she wasn't looking and leaving her in the dust of his apparent love. I wish I could get her over him, but it was a task I couldn't figure out how to accomplish. So now her dreams were flooded with him and his cruelty in leaving her. I swear when we got out of here I was going to tear that boy apart limb by limb for what he had done.  
"Get me." I told her though, looking at those beautiful chocolate brown eyes.  
"If you start having troubles, because of whatever, just get me. That way we can both sleep. I'm right next to you in that cot so it shouldn't be that hard."  
Right, boys and girls. Remember how cold the cave was back in September, it's December now so it's freezing. In order to stay alive me and Isabella share a bed, the one blanket we have, and we sleep together. It was doing wonders with my infatuation to her. Not to mention something was up with her circulation and how small she was because the cold hit her a ton harder than it hit me. So never when she was awake, but I had trained myself to read her whole body language chart so that I could tell the exact moment that it was okay for me to touch her without her waking up.  
Also calm down all you pervs out there I didn't touch her in _that_ kind of way to hear her up, I'm not a monster. I simply would gather her in my arms to make sure that she wouldn't freeze, holding her warm tiny cold body in mine. It was honestly the most intimate things I had done, just holding her as eventually I would fall asleep, waking up in a similar position. A symbiotic way of keeping each other alive and taking care of. It made loving her both harder and easier late at nights thinking as I made sure as much as I could that at the very least I could make her sleeping as comfortable as I could. She didn't know and I'm guessing didn't feel the same way about me. It was alright, you didn't love someone because you knew they would love you back. I would live with the endless fantasies of what could be. I laid down next to her knowing that she was worth being in this cave for. She was worth healing. And even if neither of us knew it, she was healing me.


	9. Chapter 9

We had been in this cave for five months. It was a bit unbelievable that I should somehow have been able to stay in this prison for that long but here I was still spending my days carving things into the wall, and mooning after a twenty-one year old. Loki as it turned out wasn't a one time instance, not at all. In fact he'd show'd up at least five times since November. It had been doing wonders to my school boy crush as expected. I was dealing with it though, I wasn't about to go out and potentially ruin Isabella's life because I couldn't hold in my feelings.  
She was doing about as well as one might expect out of a young college student now being held in a freezing cave all while slowly starving to death. Even with us growing our gross sunless plants it still wasn't enough calories. I hadn't been paying a lot of attention but I knew that it was making menstrual cycle take a toll on it. I heard her talking to Loki about it in hushed voices, her not wanting to make me feel awkward with it. She didn't want being in this cave now to impact her chances of having kids later. The God understanding her concern had promised to get something to help.  
I did however know about the curse of menstrual cramps as Isabella did not keep it a secret when those were happening. I didn't want them to be either, honestly it gave me something to think about. We didn't have any painkillers so when they came I did my best to keep her warm, to try to ease the pain. I had also learned how descriptive Isabella could be when telling me about how much her body was hurting.  
It hit us really hard of the harsh reality of being down here when her fertility was put into question.  
I'd never thought about having kids before but since being in a cave with a girl who really couldn't wait to have kids my feelings changed. Plus being secretly in love with the said girl seemed to help as well. It was a far off dream to be put on hold for a few years but it was there. Little fantasies of making lunches with caprisun, apple, sandwich, granola bars, oh I'd be great. Sending them off to school, then doing my thing, Isabella doing whatever the hell she wanted to do. Soccer games, PTA, birthday parties, waking up six times at night to take care of the child in question. I didn't want it before but now I did. Isabella wanted it more than she let out. But now because it was so cold and the food wasn't enough someone could take that away. Ultrasounds, me holding her hair back during morning sickness, maternity clothes. Someone might take that away from me which scared me. But not as much as that might take away from Isabella. I would never forgive whoever who was doing this to us I swear, I would get Natasha to get all Black Widow on them. Even without the concerns of her childbearing capabilities it was taking its toll.  
I had started teaching Isabella all about engineering for lack of nothing else to do. It wasn't easy seeing as we didn't even have any actual tools. We had substitutes, a lot of those. Knives and the ends of spoons, we had melted down a fork back when we made Isabella's arc reactor to make a small simple tweezers but it was worth it. I told her about all of my inventions, and she gave me ideas for new ones I should make. I told her about DUM-E and U and she looked at me like I had all the answers. We got into the subject of her parents, and her stepfather Phil. They had divorced when she was 3 or 4. She told me about how she rarely saw her dad except for two week trips up to the hometown every summer. They had ended when she was fourteen. She told me all about her mother, Arizona, and the tiny apartment the two had lived in together. Then about what I had started calling as The Sacrifice. Which is what led to Isabella being so broken up. Basically when her mom married the baseball player she wanted to go traveling with him because he traveled a lot. But she dealt with it and stayed with Isabella because she was barely seventeen and their are laws and stuff. Renee was sad about being away from Phil, and Isabella offered to go move in with her estranged father.  
I understood that Isabella is the most selfless, compassionate, sympathetic, empathetic, all around good person I was ever going to meet. Her mother should have fought harder, said no, pretended to be happier for her only child's sake. No though she did none of those things. Isabella went with her dad in that nowhere town where she knew no one at all. With all the extreme issues that she should have had with this, of course she wouldn't come out of that lions den okay. The monster and his family and everyone in that demon town tore her to pieces. It wasn't her dads fault, from what I knew he seemed to be an honest good man and tried as hard as he could to do good by his only child. He just wasn't ready, but he did everything he could. Until Isabella got to be the person who will literally scream at night because of the things that she won't tell me about.  
When I got out I was going to ask about that town.  
She had a panic attack the other day, and now I'm starting to get things. Like how when they happen to someone you love your heart breaks to see it. How when the breathing gets so fast and you have to remind them to _breathe_ so they don't pass out you would do anything to take it away from them.  
Now she screamed at night even more and the reasons were newer now along with the ones she won't tell me about. I couldn't get us out, I couldn't fix it. Get rid of the aching fear inside of the two of us that we might really spend the rest of our lives in this cave. Neither of us can figure out how it happened. Its not like with the Ten Rings, they had been _very_ clear as to why they had me and when I would be leaving/dying. I couldn't get us out because I had no idea how we got in. I couldn't just build my way out, their was nothing to build with. All I wanted was to honestly tell the girl I secretly love that all would be okay. That I could make it so she wouldn't have the scream at night and hold me so close as if I was a life preserver.  
We could have a good life if we could just get out of this cave. I could actually show her my creations, and properly teach her about engineering. I had promised that I would take care of her once we got out. That she could move into the tower with me so that we could adjust better. Isabella had promised that she would make sure that when I locked myself downstairs in my lab, to be locked down their with me. It was the sweetest thing someone has ever offered to give me. Their actual company, someone to just talk to the universe about.  
I had also told Loki that since the Avengers weren't really a thing anymore that I didn't care about the whole taking over the world thing. I was already set for when we got out of the cave. Captain America and General Ross could come at me now. I had a girl that would probably bite and scratch them and then cry dangerously hard making them guilt trip it. Not to mention a certain God her could do pretty much whatever he wanted unless it meant Isabella harm. So many fantasies and dreams. If I could only get us out of this stupid cave.


	10. Chapter 10

"How many days does February have in it."  
I sat up from my place on the floor staring into my own oblivion while Isabella was busy drawing up this months calendar.  
"I'm not sure, isn't February weird with the amount of days."  
She nodded, "Yeah, and that's why I'm not sure."  
"That complicates things."  
I looked at the arrangement of the five other calendars on the walls. They all had the normal decorations above them, saying what month it was and what not. One had flowers, another lakes, city, sad feeble attempts of animals. Half a year, it had been okay in all rest respects. Yes we were freezing, starving, and all at once uncomfortable but once you looked at the good things it was alright. I was still succeeding at being head over heels for Isabella from afar. But hey, I was totally over Pepper now and that was good. Another problem I wouldn't have to deal with when we got out.  
It would make only being business colleagues a lot easier. Of course Isabella had no idea, and I was careful to make sure it stayed that way. No need for her to have to deal with me anymore than I had do.  
"Dear beauty, what is it you're doing."  
A different foreign voice came from out of nowhere  
And didn't that voice just make me want to go running to the hills that I couldn't run to.  
"Making a calendar, do you know how many days there are in February."  
"28 I think."  
Yep, the God of Mischief himself was still coming by on a somewhat normal basis. It was nice having a third party to come by. I saw him discreetly give a bottle of something to Isabella, whispering instructions as to what it was probably. It was probably there to fix the thing we had talked about earlier. She nodded, I knew they didn't want me to know and I was alright with that.  
"Anyway how are you Loki."  
He sighed in frustration "absolutely done with my dear brother"  
I looked up from the dry Mac and cheese noodles I was eating.  
"What'd the golden retriever do this time."  
"He has no idea how to do anything."  
I nodded  
"Makes sense, seeing as he never really learned how to work a toaster."  
"It's moments like these that I'm really happy I haven't met Thor."  
"I'm just happy that I don't have siblings."  
I added  
Loki looked to the both of us  
"you truly have no idea just how lucky you both are."  
Isabella nodded  
"Look past the being held captive in a cave, my broken heart, and Tonys broken relationship that would be true."  
I was shocked in moments like these when Isabella was as salty as a Denny's meal.  
I didn't mind at all, it was probably normal and what kept her sane in this cave.  
"Darling, you know if I could do something I would right."  
She sighed  
"I know, have you spoken to anyone yet."  
He nodded "I talked to the red headed agent."  
This was a blind man sees kind of thing.  
"You talked to Natasha."  
He nodded.  
"Black widow."

"You're still alive?"

He looked at me with wide eyes  
"I'm as shocked as you are truly. Honestly I feared she was actually going to kill me, it's no matter that I'm a God she could if she wanted to. Acted like it as well."

Isabella looked over, "I haven't actually met her but if she's anything like Anthony's told me, why aren't you dead."

Oh right she tended to switch which name she called me.

Loki looked at me like a parent wondering if their child could handle it. I totally could.  
"I mentioned you and she changed. I described the cave from what I know of it, and she was invested."  
Well that was... wow.  
"Where's she staying."  
"With that one mid guardian king with all the others."  
I nodded "that's right T'Challa took em'all in after the airport fight. How's she taking it."  
"Not well actually." he said like some secret scandal. "I was more scared of her killing her former teammates than me."  
"Really."  
"Apparently she found out about the big fight between you and the tall blonde one. Wasn't happy about it at all."  
"She knows."  
"Yeah" Isabella said putting away the chalk rock, "Remember, I think some pieces of the tape got out right before we were taken. It was pretty scratchy, little bits y'know."  
The box went on top of all the others, all those other pieces of the kids puzzle in our life.  
"They must've completed it then. Cleaned it up. What does it have to do with Nat hating Steve?"  
"Not sure exactly but if my understanding of human nature is correct but with the Widow she was hurting or killing either strangers or individuals that deserved what they were getting. You had done nothing wrong to deserve what happened in the video."  
I shook my head, "I was to egotistical. I should've listened, calmed down, breathe and count to ten. I shouldn't have done-"

"Anthony Edwards Stark." My breath caught as I was now in the beautiful presence of Beauty and the Beast.  
"It wasn't your fault. Not one bit of it. Steve is a pathetic little coward, and whether or not they can see it or not the Winter Soldiers hands are dripping stained in blood."

"Don't blame Bucky for it."

She stroked my ever growing hair back.  
"I don't, you know I don't. James Buchanan Barnes is totally chill with me. The Winter Soldier and Steve Rogers, not so much."  
Isabella then just walked by, her and Loki squeezed hands and as she headed to the kitchen.  
"What did everyone else think about you being there."  
"They all wanted me dead the moment they saw me."  
"What about when you said you knew about me and stuff" I offered.  
"They didn't want my help," he said "but didn't hear any of there pleas."  
Then we looked into each others eyes. Honestly just pure trust was there something I didn't think I'd get especially from this man. It was there with Isabella too. That kind of trust wasn't even really there anymore with Pepper and Rhodey. Too many things had happened, and even then had it ever existed?  
"Stark," he slowly spoke "believe me when I tell you I am doing and will do everything possible to get you and Isabella out of this cave."  
I felt my Adam's apple bob as I was given something with more honesty.  
"I don't care what the idiot ex-avengers think. you're the one who stopped me, mainly not them. I have no reason to respect anyone other than yourself and

He headed to the kitchen where Isabella was  
"And as of recently Natasha Romanov. The spy is actually doing something."

I was able to admit that this whole thing with Natasha was hard to believe but all at was so easy to with her personality.

"It's no surprise, she's the one that's known you the longest right."  
A thing about Isabella that made me even more overwhelmingly in love with her. She listened when you talked.  
"Right."

Then after we had done the rest of the day, cleaning and farming as much as we could we checked off February first. Officially from where we started counting we had been here for six months. Half a year. And I spent half of it being in love with Isabella which was ok. No one got to do anything about it but me. I thought no one else knew. But right before he left Loki took me aside and

"I've seen the way you look and act with her. Isabella is an innocent little angel and doesn't notice but anyone else can. I understand that I'm the only other person that ever comes but."  
He sighed in frustration again  
"Do something is what I'm saying. From my progress, and I am making it, it might be a few more months until we figure out how to get you out. There really is nothing stopping this relationship."

I stepped up to him, "Except the little detail that the bastard that broke her heart. The hearts still pretty broken."  
"You can unbreak it Anthony, she trusts you enough to start to let it happen. You've already done a marvelous job. You both are wonderful, and could be happy together you know that.'  
We heard Isabella coming back  
"Do something, or I will Man of Iron"

Then without forgetting to hug Isabella while also raising his eyebrows at me he left.  
Leaving me in bed wondering how in the world to start a relationship, especially with someone as perfect as her. I would have to be careful not to step on anything that might explode but, I could do that easily as long as I paid attention.  
Also really what was up with Widow. She'd never done anything like this, literally nothing in her behavior suspected it.

Oh well, all spies have secrets anyhow.


	11. Widow

Natasha didn't know how to feel about anything.

She thought she had made the right move when she left to go to Wakanda. Tony would be fine on his own, I mean ever since he brought Jarvis back to life there was someone to take care of him. so she left, not being able to handle it anymore, she was done with tony for the time being. she would go back to see him once everything calmed down, and he would be there as out of shape as usual. with making her new widow bites, and fixing fancy stuff for Peter. Then one day in the beginning of September he was kidnapped. Brutally in fact, they had all seen the glitch in the security tapes. One moment there the next just, gone. Tony Stark was nowhere to be found and she desperately regretted leaving. Then Thor came and said he had heard about the Man of Irons taking and offered assistance finding him. Despite everything that had gone on between Steve and Tony, and with the Accords. She wanted Tony back, regardless of what all the other ex avengers thought of him. They were still friends, and she was terrified of what would happen to him. So when Thor had revealed that Loki would be the best option to help she had immediately agreed. The other ex- avengers it was a but more tricky than them. Having seen how involved and how much he believed in the Accords, Tony wasn't going to be backing out of them anytime soon. Steve though not agreeing to it could handle that, but then comes the topic of Barnes. Tony hadn't fully forgiven Barnes or Steve for what had happened in Serbia, and certainly not what led them to the fight. he probably wouldn't ever fully forgive Barnes for killing his mother regardless of his state of mind, or Steve for keeping it from tony or the fact that he nearly killed him. Natasha could understand the sentiment, within a week of the fight the two of them understood it too. But Steve and tony weren't ready to be together, or so Steve thought. Tony was gone now, and Natasha had never felt more alone despite the fact that she was surrounded by people she had thought to be her friends. She couldn't forgive Steve for what he did to tony, and Barnes was in cyro but she couldn't really forgive him either. Clint, though they used to be best friends she couldn't believe how easily she had abandoned Laura and the kids.

So when he tried to reject the plan to let Loki help find Tony she couldn't care less and dismissed it. They weren't half the friends they used to be, if they were friends at all.  
When the gods brother had come after saying he had found tony, but not alone he had said. A young college student was down there with him, cold and in bad shape. Isabella Swan who was reported missing on August 29, turned 21 while trapped in the cave. Normal girl, but SHEILD had been monitoring her since she was seventeen because of a certain boyfriend. When it collapsed Phil Coulson still checked up on her to makes sure she was okay. Her kidnapping was even rougher than Tony's, and no one could figure out why. she was completely innocent, not even a hint of a criminal record on her. Loki spoke about her with such fondness, such gentleness, that it made her wonder what had gone down. they were in a cave, and god knows how tony was taking that. Loki could warily tell them the relative location of where it was, and that it was very badly insulated. he told of the cold days and the near freezing nights that the couple had been experiencing. With nothing but thin clothes, one medium thick large sized blanket, and each others body heat. They were losing weight, by the way Loki described it they had more than enough food but the food wasn't having all the calories needed. nothing down there was in a good amount of calories, and the amount needed to get the calories was too much for them to eat. they were both losing weight and fast. Loki gave them clues from observation to see where they were being kept. they were in a cave, it was always chilly and freezing at night, no windows or any opening whatsoever, and the cave was made up of light colored stones that were pretty hard. that was all they had to go on, and it wasn't much at all. it was something at least, and they had begun looking for things that matched the categories. The next fact that tony had told Loki that not only was it cold, but it had been since he had first been there consciously. not as cold, but always so. and it had gotten near freezing on a frequent basis during the winter.

Now it was warming up apparently, but not by much. so they both were recovering, but not really the most healthy recovery. They had been in wherever they were for six months with no contact with the outside world at all other than Loki, and even though he's okay and by the way it sounded neither of the two seemed to mind. He was still Loki and probably didn't have much to remind them of where they were used to. Natasha couldn't help but feel like Tony probably wouldn't see this as a bad thing. That the fact that this crazy norse God that had tried to kill him a few years back didn't resemble anything like the world he was from. Didn't that just hurt her even worse than she thought it would. Then comes the girl, poor thing had no warning whatsoever. She was a sweet creature and that made things go a bit strange.

Tony Stark was genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and even though many may argue it Hero. Not to mention his former title as the Merchant of Death from when Stark Industries was in the weapons industry. He had targets on him like a game of laser tag, left and right, never failing to try to take a shot at him. Someone could come up with a million reasons why he should be put into a cave to rest for a bit, slowly dying as such. But Isabella Swan only had one straight arrowed target that had stopped pointing at her years ago. Coulson seemed to be invested in a moral code and in such made sure that she was safe. The girl was a kind good hearted person, her hands squeaky clean of doing anything aside from her little more than human boyfriend as a teenager.

There was just no connection, how could there be. So who in the world would take two completely opposite people, with literally nothing to relate one to the other, and put them together. Ransom would work to get Tony, but no phone calls or letters or anything like that had come up. The wanting for a genius could apply to both of them, sort of. Tony was a well renowned genius who could build just about anything. Isabella knew her biology and a bit of human anatomy. Two completely different geniuses, not to mention Isabella was still in college. There was nothing, no one to come out and claim to have taken either of them. So why, and more importantly who. Nothing of them ending up in the cave in some unknown location made sense. The former KGB was good at her job, the best that anyone could find really. But this seemed to be more of some fictional mystery than real life.

It was making so much nonsense, that even someone with her level of practice and expertise could figure it out. No one could. Until she got anything useful the only thing she was doing was working around the clock to find anything she could. T'Challa was surprisingly a big help in it, especially when an innocent civilian was involved in it. He didn't want anyone that didn't need to get hurt be harmed. Scratch that he didn't want anyone to get hurt or die at all. So all of his own Dora Milage were on the case as well. They were all around good people but they were also warriors.

Tony unknown to everyone had a special secret relationship with Wakanda. His father Howard spent a lot of wasted time trying to get vibranium from the reclusive country. Naturally T'Chaka refused all requests to get any. But in order to keep the man from getting an aneurysm he did of course have meetings. So even if just once or twice, the guards of the palace knew Anthony Stark and T'Challa playing together because neither of them had a taste for politics, and they were children and could care less about their parents business. Then after his fathers death he was for a short time a consultant before deeming that they didn't want any bad business because honestly, Tony still could care less about his fathers business.

But the guards still remembered, and the country still remembered, so they were doing a goo job at working as hard as they could to get the man back. Now that Isabella Swan was in the equation they truly were showing all the weapons that the warriors could carry. All the hidden technology in the country was showing itself, they were pulling every resource they had in order to get what they wanted. How had they all been so blind as to just how much value Tony was worth, and not just in money. Not to mention if not for T'Challas politeness and hospitality the other ex-avengers would have been handed to Ross by now. Probably not Wanda since the King was pretty nice with her and didn't want her to get scars that she didn't deserve. Even though she could and had made them see their worst memories she was sweet.

With the looks that just about everyone gave them though, the exact opposite opinion could be put on Steve and Bucky. With all the footage going around it was surprising that no fights had really gone down yet.

It didn't matter though they still couldn't find either of them. They could be as angry as they wanted to be at the soldiers that should have stayed dead, but it wouldn't bring back what they were missing. Natasha didn't have much. She had Tony, the Dora Milage who was becoming good friends with her, Shuri, T'Challa, and to some extent Loki.

Down in that cave she wondered what it was like for them, they only really had two people in the world anymore. Starving, and freezing, Loki had learned how to take small inanimate objects after they were becoming more and more concerned with both their health's, especially Isabella as it had been revealed that she had an arc reactor in her, forced in just like Tony's. She was young and didn't deserve this. Neither of them did.

Natasha would do everything that she could to get them back safely, to see Tony again.

Even if that means being a Black Widow.


	12. Chapter 12

It was march now and we were taking it horribly. Spring when the suns great, airs okay, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming, and we're stuck in this damn cave. Isabella absolutely loathed it, more than I thought her capable. Honestly the factor that she could be getting her bachelors degree in whatever she wanted and wasn't. All the years of working nonstop, nights spent sleepless getting schoolwork done, and the saving every penny to pay for everything. With nothing to show for it, nothing for all that effort trying to do what she needed to get the life she wanted. Nothing but this empty cave, me, and occasionally a Norse God.

A certain Norse God who wouldn't stop nudging me, giving me certain looks, and not so subtly telling me to do something with my feels. I wasn't though, honestly how would I even do it. Isabella wasn't some one night stand, not a flavor of the week. She wasn't even really Pepper either, way too disorganized. Which was nice, and made me even more blushy for her.  
I couldn't do it, just couldn't. Wasn't about to worry the sanctuary they had created, the sense of peace. It could all end with one wrong move on the chessboard, and I didn't want to risk my Queens safety.  
"She won't mind it," Loki had told me  
"Isabella isn't like that, and you know it. just tell her how you feel."  
This was the response in just about every cheesy romance I've ever seen. Just tell her, go up to her when she's working on her garden and be like  
'Hey I know you're still heartbroken over that douche, and he's a real douche. But I'm in love with you, and have been for the past five months.'  
I honestly was terrified at the idea of what her reaction would be. It was pretty mixed results. So she just kept tending to the garden and drawing on the wall, and I kept tinkering with literally whatever I could find. It wasn't much but I kept taking things apart and putting them back together, or making something new, so I was okay. I just couldn't wait until we had a washing machine again, I was almost forgetting what clothes with fabric softener felt like.  
We were playing little house in the prairie down here and neither of us liked it. We had a line for hanging clothes but because the air in here was so weird they always came out crispy and rough. Now just to get it out of the way we both did our own laundry and I was happy with it. Also one more thing I learned about Isabella, she's totally a feminist and it made my day.

Isabella was looking better now, kind of. Whatever Loki had brought her it was working, and her reproductive organs would still be fertile until she went through menopause. We were both dangerously skinny, her more so than me. Ribs were visible, skin was paler, honestly our bodies were extremely out of shape because of being in this cave so long. When we got out we were totally going to Australia or something because the lack of sunlight was literally killing us slowly.  
I had also spoken to Loki, trying to see if there was anyway he could get the shrapnel out of her chest so that we could take the arc reactor out.  
I knew it would cause problems for if she ever wanted to have kids, because of the whole things moving around.  
The God had said he could do it with enough magic, and in secret when he spent the nights here was taking little pieces of shrapnel out of her when she was sleeping. Most of them weren't big enough to really see but could do a whole lot of damage. There was a lot in her and so far we had gotten maybe half of it out.

It was a work in progress, especially because it was magic doing basically all of it.  
Taking the actual reactor out, that would be an issue though. While Loki could do it, and I had complete confidence in him, he said that it would be better to do it when Isabella was healthier, had more weight, and was under a lot less stress. Also having a few heart surgeons wouldn't be a bad idea. Magic could do it, make it look like the reactor was never even there in the first place.  
He had offered to take out mine as well but I'd declined, the only reason why Isabella might have to have hers taken out is because she had an actual reason. I didn't really have any reason to take out mine. I was alright with that.  
Her mood was a bit subject to change, she wanted out. She wanted to keep living life outside of this cave. See even if my world had been falling to pieces when I was taken hers wasn't. Yeah she was falling to pieces but she was holding herself together so hard it was practically suffocating her.  
Now holding it all together was harder. I let myself loose aside from the obvious feelings. It was hard for her and when she did loosen her grip, it almost always ended with me having to hold her in my arms together myself. All I could do was hold her, and hope that Loki found us a way out as soon as possible.

I was falling apart too, but I felt like Isabella was better at holding me together than I was with her. I mean it makes sense, with her being a bit of an angel and stuff. Then I'm iron man, which makes things a bit difference. I was already making plans for her to get a suit of sorts for when we got out. Its where the angel thing really gets into action. Its sort of like what Sam has but cooler and way better. with longer wings.

I had showed her the designs that I was making, she liked them to say the least. She also mentioned that she wasn't a superhero, and in all respects she wasn't a combat person. I expected it and since the designs for in a worst case scenario, like when Pepper needed to use my suits that one time. Except it was better, because it would be custom made for the Beauty herself. Wasn't sure what color, but for right now I knew one thing, it was going to be an awesome color. Literally this is the funnest thing I've ever come up with.

Imagine it, lightweight, straps easily on the back, with cool also lightweight boots that have boosters on them. Not to mention the wings, literally currently I was going with a rose gold, white, and silver linings. I hadn't come up with anything in months, but this is what was going to be the best thing ever. Better than iron man, better than war machine, better than anything I had ever made the former avengers, better than the whole universe. Even if she didn't really want to where it I was going to make her an iron angel suit. Also that comes with another addition to why the arc reactor should be removed. Honestly Isabella has enough anxiety as it with just me to be embarrassed in front of, and it was going to be a lot worse once we got out, whenever that was. I wasn't any closer to telling her about my feelings since when I first unburied them but I could already see the headlines. Fury would want to get a debriefing, and if theirs anything I didn't want Isabella to go through it was one of those. Having to recount everything that goes down this cave, reliving the experience in a sense, is something I wouldn't put her through.

I now could understand where Rhodey and Pepper were coming from when they tried to get me help. When they said to go to therapy, to take a break, to recover. Yes I may have felt fine and dandy, but now seeing Isabella. I probably should have gone to see a therapist at least once, should have taken the time to get better. Now seeing Isabella squirm in her sleep, and the deep bags, and the crying,and the panic attacks. Finally I was getting why they were trying to force me to get help, because theirs nothing worse than having the person you love go through a pain that you can't heal. It was the reason why after all of this was over, I was going to go to therapy with her and we were going to solve all the problems that we don't even know we have because of being in this cave.

Hell, I was going to take a psychology class just so I could be better for the after affects. But for now we're just in this cave, and by the looks of it Loki is working on getting us out. Also he was shipping Isabella and I so hard, I was getting a bit encouraged to actually do something. Make being in this cave just a little bit easier.

Now I had a plan.


	13. Chapter 13

So you know how I said I had plans. Here's the thing, although I have finally come to the conclusion that I can and probably should tell her my feelings. The real problem is

How?

I can't really go and set a table for two because we eat together everyday anyway. There isn't any subtle way to confess feelings in this cave. No movies, no restaurants, no parks, no amusement parks, no fairs, no cars, no mountains, no hiking, no card games, really we don't have anything.

So in reality the only way to do this and start a relationship of sorts, or at least get these feelings known was really me just going out and saying

'Hey man, I'm in love with you.'

So my plans on going forth and doing this kept being pushed back, and canceled, and just avoided as a whole. Turns out it didn't matter because Isabella had been going through some feelings as well. More so than I ever could have ever thought, and I would have done something about it earlier if I had known. So he-who-must-not-be-named did a lot of damage. Like chitauri, sokovia, and the airport fight mixed together kind of damage and then some. Leaving Isabella to pay for all of the damages all by herself, like a hurt animal at the side of the road everyone ignores. But I'm not ignoring it anymore, because now I can see just how beat up she really was from the remains that this guy left on her. So feelings were way harder on the way too inexperienced in the field being Isabells, then the very well experienced me and even I was a bit torn up about Pepper until I actually did meet the college girl.

It happened two weeks after Loki had last visited. she started showing the signs of being in love. And she wasn't in love with Loki or the dead beat boyfriend anymore. So in the equation there was me. Here was how I figured it out, by the fact that she showed all the symptoms which I am making up as the signs of being in love being customed to the sweet beautiful Swan herself.

WAYS YOU KNOW SHE LIKES YOU

-way more blushing than normal, and thats a lot for her

\- stuttering again (sigh)

-Avoidance

-More nervousness than usual

-quietness

-Faster heartbeat while in said individuals vicinity.

See the last one may seem creepy stalkerish, but really its not so. When I put Isabellas arc reactor in it was brand new. It was made out of an old stove. So I payed attention to the beating of her heart to take care to make sure that nothing would happen. Her heart was almost as gentle as mine and I had to keep my head up for Palladium posioning.

Anyways though honestly I had worked with enough young women in my life, and, well, I was me. I recognized the signs of infatuation at this point. All of them. All od the little modest, humble ones were showing in Isabella. Everyone of them and even though she's good at hiding this kind of stuff, I was good at finding them.

Which is why it was strange that I was so in love with her myself that I didn't notice any of them when they popped up. So back on the story, Isabella still went into deep times of thought, some tenser than others. It was her coping mechanism for basically everything which was how I figured it out. I had been in my little workshop too long, because even though I was used to that, now I had someone else to make sure was okay. Isabella tended to have bits of not okay-ness if left alone too long in her thoughts. So when I decided I was also a bit down and i went to my corner for ten hours straight it probably wasn't the best idea. When I came into the bedroom she was laying there staring at the wall eyes wide, shoulders tense, and obvious is some complicated potentially bad part of her mind.

So I went over and I put my hand on her shoulder, making her flinch from the unexpected touch.

"Isabella" I said softly, it was like when she was in her deep thoughts but something was off different than it usually would be. Her eyes were still pretty wide when her glance went to mine. She just kept staring so intently it got me even more concerned. I sat down next to her brushing her hair out of her face which was getting long.

"Whats, whats wrong?" I asked gently.

Then in a slow motion her Eve's Adam apple bopped and I watched it as it did, and her breathing got weird, and her heart did this weird jumpy thing.

"I think I might have feelings for you."

My heart starting doing this weird jumpy thing, my palms and forehead got sweaty, I felt jittery, tired yet so alive because... What?

"What?" I asked her in disbelief, because all this time and finally she drops the penny.

But her eyes filled with fear and I knew I screwed up because she got up and starting walking away.

"Wait" I was suddenly filling with fear because I've been ready to do what she just did and my reaction was horrible.

I reached out and grabbed her wrist gently, not wanting to ever be too rough with her.

She looked at me "Are you. Are you in love with me."

Then she just stared at me again eyes wide, shoulders really tense, and heartbeat going crazier,and my palm was still sweaty on her wrist. I got my answer from just that, and she tried to pull away.

"Listen Isabella, its okay if you feel that way. Because I do too."

She looked at me a bit shocked and shook her head "It would never work."

"Why?" I asked, "is it Iron Man, baby that wouldn't interfere if we don't make it. Is it the fact that I'm a billionaire. Am I too smart, too old. Do I scare you. Is it because of the drinking and.

"Anthony I don't care about any of that, even though you should probably stop drinking."

"Then why, why can't I love you." Finally saying what I'd been wanting to for months.

"Because I know how you are with girls. How you do things with them, which is fine but I can't."

I was confused "What do I mean because I have a feeling you aren't talking about the sex."

"I meant everything. The holding hands, the kissing, the dates. I don't know how to do those things. Edward did them all wrong and he ruined me, I don't know how to be with normal people or how to do relationships." She said stressing it all, and I could see tears in her eyes.

"Princess I don't care about doucheward okay. We don't have to do the holding hands, or the kissing, or even the dates. Just" I took a moment to breathe.

"Just let me love you like I've wanted to for months now." I confessed what I wanted what I truly wanted. More than anything in the world more than iron man, my inventions, Pepper, the company, Steve, the accords. More than my whole life.

"I don't know what to do with my feelings though, I haven't really done anything like this before."

I nodded my head "Thats fine we'll learn together or something like that."

"What about Edward?"

I held her hands looking at her deeply now because really, we never talked about him much ever.

"What about him?"

"He's going to cause a lot of problems." She said like it was the most obvious things in the world

Expecting this I just went with all the scenarios I had dreamed up on my own.

"We can fix those problems together."

She looked at me like I was insane, "He really messed me up, like train wreck. What we had was a weird dysfunctional relationship that didn't work like a relationship should."

"I guessed it was that much."

After that Isabella didn't really seem like she had any more arguments, but her shoulders were stiff and her eyes were wide."

I brought her down to my level and got closer to my face, "Isabella, baby, I love you. I don't care about doucheward, or how inexperienced you might be. I've loved you for months now, we can figure this out together. I know it won't be perfect because to begin with we are still stuck in this cave for god knows how long."

We both laughed a bit me getting what I wanted, the atmosphere lighting up.

"So we'll face whatever comes our way in or out of this cave."

Then side by side we sat in actually kind of peaceful silence keeping each other warm.

"Tony," She said softly "I love you too."

I smiled starting to feel a little giddy "I love you so much."

Then I pecked her on the cheek.

I could practically hear all the rumors that would come up if we ever got out of this cave.

I ignored those because the sounds of Loki cheering and giggling was louder than anything.


	14. Chapter 14

So because I just went and saw Spider-man homecoming which was a gift, but also came out a bit after I started this fic. This fic is now AU until I figure out how to fit spidey's timeline. Also I know that you all want Isabella and Tony to get out of the cave. It will happen and I have a plan. But it'll be a few chapters. I have a plan, and the extent of time they spend in the cave is part of that. It's coming, but some other stuff has to go down first.

I have a plan y'alls.

\- xoxoxo, PotionInMotion

"So"

We both sat there taking glances at each other and smiling.  
"Do you two have something to share with the class?"  
I cocked my head to the side.  
"Do we, you tell me?"  
Loki was in front of us and I could tell the moment he popped up he caught on to the differences. How interactions had changed just...slightly. A pinch of romance in the cave now that the God of Mischief was snorting up like crack.  
"Well your close up to each other, and that's close considering how cozy you two usually are." he said smugly.  
I got to watch the scarlet blush Isabella's pale cheek. Like watching fireworks go off just from that.  
"I have no idea what your talking about Loki?" she replied in a false innocent tone with a bewildered expression on her face.  
"Neither do I?" I said joining her

Loki sighed "I've lived over a thousand of your mortal years, I know these things."

I gasped dramatically "You do?"  
I looked at Isabella who was smiling at me.  
"Whatever do you think he means?"

She giggled "I think he wants in on the secret."  
"But no we mustn't tell him."  
"He _is_ a God, he should know."  
"I already know, just tell me." Loki growled.

I dropped the dramatics in an electronic heartbeat and said dead seriously sighing  
"Isabella and I are a respected romantic couple now."  
I watched in his eyes as the lights came, and I could see excitement come in rolling like waves in the sea.  
"Finally at last." He said after about two minutes of silence.  
"I can die peacefully now knowing that my one wish has come true."

"Which is?" Isabella asked in a passive tone.  
His smile just got bigger and he said warmer than kid tv shows  
"For you two to be together, happily ever after."  
"It's only part of one" I mused, "the fairy tale doesn't end with the captives still being in captivity."

I almost felt bad for being the buzz kill but, it was worth it. There was a chance Loki would work faster.  
"Because a love story that takes up a whole cave, is a pretty sad story."

Isabella nodded,"running a relationship can only go so far this way."

Loki was hating how we just poured waters all over his candles but that was okay. It had been three more months in this cave, and though me and Isabella were taking this _extremely_ slow (I hadn't even kissed her yet). Running an actual relationship which was tough for both of us, was awkward being trapped in this cave.  
This wasn't how I imagined spending Fourth of July which was two weeks ago.

"But I am happy that you're happy we're together." I said at the end of it all.

Loki shrugged his shoulders,  
"It's fine honestly. You two are tired of this cave I get it. Believe me though we are working as fast as we're able to get you two out. Its hard seeing as we still only have a general idea of where the two of you actually are."

Isabella's eyebrows went up,  
"really, where?"

"Europe. The problem is when we try narrowing it down its still fairly large. All of Russian and her neighbors could be where you are. Plenty of mountains, plenty of caves, and plenty of low temperatures."

"Hmmm... did you know that before I went to college, the most east I've ever been was Albuquerque."

I nodded "Good to know we've made some progress on that since."

"I know, before we didn't ever have a general idea of where we were."

"So... Russia, or somewhere else as cold and equally suspicious." I said cheekily.  
"Natasha will be happy when she finds out we finally have something in common."

"At last."

The newly started relationship was going slow, but it was going. I honestly didn't care that I had never gone this slow, or actually really gone through all the steps in a healthy relationship. Even though we were in a cave where we had spent the last ten months or so, this one thing made it all worth it. In my now 39 years of life, I hadn't really ever had a nice normal healthy relationship. I restate we were in a cave, somewhere in Russia, and I was having the closest thing to a normal healthy relationship than I ever had outside all the stone, Pepper included. Which made my love life look really sad, but then again I looked at Isabella's past love life and I was devastated. Baby steps were good, walking on egg shells also good, and I was okay with that. I was dealing with someone who was so stereotypical in the character in a hallmark movie yet all at once not. There were things she hadn't told be about doucheward, and she probably wouldn't ever tell me. And I was alright with that as well.

Honestly, she was still a virgin so there was really nothing to make me that upset. Not to mention she was pretty chill with the fact that I was in bed with girls when she was a baby. The fact that I was 17-18 years older than her didn't really bother her either. Honestly if this was the 60s she'd totally be a hippie for how chill she was with everything.

Yes, the depressions still came and went on a basis but that was normal. I helped as much as I could, but they happened to me too. Being trapped in a small cave does that to you. So maybe we heard or felt something that wasn't there once in a while, that was okay. For the first time in years, years, I was happy with the way things were going.

I wanted out of the cave though, if not for me than for Isabella. Every month Loki would give a small bottle of magic potion to her, I knew what it was for. None of us wanted being in this cave to risk the chances of her getting to feel a kick of a baby from inside her one day. From what I got from listening in on all the whispered conversations between the two of them, it had to be changed every little while. The longer we spent in this cave, the worse it got.

I really wish I had paid more attention during health class in high school.

Now that we were able to take care of that precious part of her physiology, it was getting better. My dreams of holding her hair back on a round of morning sickness wasn't a complete failure. Who would think that my hopes and dreams were being saved by the man that had sent an alien army to take over earth and tried to kill me. I was okay with that too.

No Captain America to bother me or his precious best friend, no more betrayal, no more meetings, no more listening to Pepper tell me how I should act. No more avengers.

I wanted back out of the cave, don't let anyone convince you otherwise, there were just things I didn't miss. And things that when I got out would be fixed.

The Accords would be trashed, me and Pepper would go to a truly estranged relationship, and Isabella would want for nothing. Rogers could just go suck it. More science, more workshop, and less loneliness. Because after discussing anything and everything about the future with Isabella, she'd made it clear that even if she never lifted a wrench she was going to hang out in my workshop regardless of what I wanted in that department. And I was alright with that.

My future outside this cave was set. And the one inside this cave was too.

We'd just gotten to the holding hands stage, and I was genuinely happy about it. Suddenly holding her in my arms late at night during sleeping time had a different feeling to it. I wasn't alone anymore.

I could recount hundreds of memories of loneliness from before I was even 10, my parents leaving for each and every holiday to go holiday. My robot puppys that I had created. Jarvis tried, he really did, but he had his own family to go back to. All the evenings with me and my schoolwork and circuit boards.

Suddenly that wasn't the case anymore. I was assured even without them needing to say that I wasn't alone. Not anymore. No one was going to smash a shield into my chest ever again. Yes, my company was an insane God, and my way too young girlfriend but thats okay. They were better than the groups of spies, and super soldiers I surrounded myself with before hand.

But I still would have Black Widow in my friend group, even if she did sell me out.

I was alright with things now, and coming to terms with them. I liked the fact that Loki had brought us a deck of cards now, and that we had more to do. I liked the meaningless meaningful conversations I had with the two.

Believe it or not, I liked that Loki was the kind of person with the type of loyalty to wipe out anyone that tried to back stab or otherwise cause us harm. I loved them both, and it was different than with anyone else.

I wanted out of the cave, but some things were nice. And they were one of them.


	15. Chapter 15

Well this was crazy.  
So basically what went down is we've been down here a year. A whole year. Stuck in this damn cave. So on the anniversary of when we started the calendar. Sort of.  
Well not sort of but.  
Isabella lost it. She had been cool and calm if not a little depressed at times, never actually taking the time to get the other feelings about this whole ordeal out of her emotional system. I had yelled and stomped my feet enough that I didn't have what she had. And she lost it.  
She threw things everywhere, screamed and cursed.  
Honestly cursed, I didn't know where she learned all those expletives because I'd been careful because Isabella is a saint, but damn she could say the most filthy things. Pots and pans, soap bottles, packets of oatmeal and instant mash potatoes went flying. Scribbled how much she hated it in here on the wall, kicking the walls which I made her stop in fear of her hurting herself and then she just went back to throwing things.  
I'd also learned things, like the names in the devils family. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, and Esme. All mentioned and given quite a few curses, not to mention lucifer himself Edward. About how Alice couldn't tell her what to wear anymore, or how to be ladylike. How Rosalie shouldn't have even bothered disliking her if they were all going to leave her. That Emmett could stop with all his god awful jokes and move on with his life. Carlise, who'd saved her life a few times, mentioned to not have because her life ended when they left. Esme and Jasper were left alone, and I have no idea why.

Edward was followed with plenty of suggestions to have sex with himself.

She tore out everything she didn't like in the garden which ended up being about half of it. Then, finally, she broke down crying. Curled up into a small ball of tears that I carefully picked up, and gently rocked. She shook with all the sobs going through her, and I had no idea what to do about any of it. Isabella cried at feeling inadequate for me, that she somehow wasn't enough. Saying that I would end up realizing what a mess she was and leave her for some girl who knew what she was doing. I was crying by then too.

Because we were in a cave, and she had so much wallowed up pain inside her. I told her that I would never find a more amazing or beautiful person to love in this world. Then I had to reassure her so many times I lost count that I loved her, and would never leave her to fend for herself.  
I was going to burn the Cullen's, and after getting her father and Angela Webber put (Isabella's friend) outside on vacation. I was torching that town down to pieces.

Or at least visiting a few people and saying some very choice words to them. Very choice words.

Here's the craziest thing though. That wasn't the craziest thing.  
A few hours, a meal, and a nap later even though she wasn't feeling as bad anymore there was still plenty of emotion.  
Grabbing a small knife Loki had gotten us she headed to the wall with the first calendar from exactly a year ago on it. I would be concerned if it weren't for the fact that all this objects he had brought us were charmed so they couldn't cause us any harm.  
With a quick murmur saying she was sacrificing the knife, she took the top of the blade to the stone and began carving it in. And she didn't stop.  
For three months.  
We of course fixed up the cave from when she had lost it, she continued gardening, I kept fixing and making stuff, Loki kept up his visits. But for Isabella there was no more staring into oblivion, not as much at least. Now while I tinkered, she went to the wall with her knife and kept carving.  
Her birthday passed, October and Halloween passed, then ironically the day before thanksgiving she finally found what she was looking for.  
It was small, no bigger than her palm but it was a symbol. And a weird one at that. A rose with flames for petals, crystals for leaves, and a sun thing in the middle, with a ring around it in words in what looked like to be some sort of language that I didn't know.  
It wasn't much but it was more than we had for the past year.

When Loki came by the next day for the Holiday, he was as clueless as we were. The language for all that he had lived and seen, was unknown to him. Whoever took us had something to do with the flower of symbols on the wall. It was the one thing we had to suggest to anything about our strange and unusual kidnapping. But Loki still had other good news.  
Ever since Isabella started tearing out the wall, he had been taking bits and pieces of what was left behind. They'd been scanning them all on the other side of the ground apparently. Now they had something.  
We were in a specific set of mountains. Deep, deep in them. (Author: I know nothing about caves) In the pit of russia/ siberia. I know siberia, great place. Especially because I found out that my former friends best friend killed my mom and my former friend knew of it for two plus years.

Yay Siberia right folks. But thats not what matters.  
What matters is that we knew we were there. Which means we are now one step closer to get out of this literal hell hole. and we both couldn't be happier.

Isabella didn't quit picking at the wall after we found the fire flower. She just started going around, not very much because we both didn't want the cave to collapse before we were out of it. just a straight section going around the walls of the cave. I pitched in too some days when I didn't have any projects to work on. Seeing as he was here enough, and saw how important it was to Isabella, Loki started in on it in the slightest bits whenever he visited.  
By Christmas we had gotten about fifteen feet more done. And found two more of the fire flower symbols behind the rock.

We looked beneath the layer of rocks where we found the flower, and found nothing special. It wasn't painted on, but rather it seemed to be formed into the rock over plenty millennia. Honestly despite the fact that it had nothing to do with America, this was all very national treasure like.  
Loki examined it, even took bits of it out from the wall, no magic that he could tell whatsoever. They were just in the wall where we were, and all exactly the same. If it weren't for the fact they most positively had something to do with our kidnappers, I'd say they were beautiful looking.  
Isabella looked at them often, giving me her Da Vinci Code on them. We overall had no idea what they meant.

Then life kept going on. Isabella still had her days when she was down. She desperately wanted to leave even more now. She had spent the end of twenty, all of twenty one, and now the beginning of twenty two stuck in this cave.  
It wasn't easy, for her or me. She didn't lose it like that one time but I still knew one thing for sure.  
We were totally gunna see some therapist and take some pills when we got out of this cave.  
I was going to tell Captain America everything that I should have. how he was a coward, pathetic, and couldn't face the justice that he believed in. I was going to go over the Accords, see what was so wrong with them. They weren't perfect, but they weren't awful either. Isabella who had paid no attention to them when we were out even agreed that they were a good idea, and if she was a superhero she would sign them.  
God thank my blood pressure that she wasn't a superhero type of person. Really my heart couldn't take that kind of thing, even the simplest of idea of her in a fight have me nightmares.  
She didn't care though, I still had all my mental plans for when we got out. I asked her if she wanted me to make her a suit when we got out. Not to go superhero in, but a just in case an alien army goes after earth or something like that.  
She'd agreed, it just had to be original. No iron women or war machine for her. Even more fun for me once I was finally returned to my rightful place in my workshop.

I had promised Loki that we would still be friends when we got out. I had completely gotten over The Battle of New York.  
The avengers might never exist again, at least not to there former glory. Captain had ended any chance of that happening when he slammed his shield into my suit in that hydra bunker.  
Honestly Isabella wanted a shield of sorts to make me feel safer about the defense tools. I was considering just taking the paint off of the Captain America one and redoing it with daisies and sage for the front of it. The former owner sure wasn't getting it back anytime soon.

Why not just make a wonder women one for a girl who hadn't given 196 countries the middle finger for there partially sane best friend.

Loki was literally a good 67% of the reason why we hadn't gone insane trapped in this cave. Isabella just couldn't wait to meet his kids. Odin could suck it if he thought he was going to do anything else to the beloved prince we had become so fond of. Honestly, he had promised Isabella plenty of gifts from all over the universe after he couldn't take more than what he could fit in his palm to her.

Thor so far while was still cool with me, not actually sure what was going down with him during the fight but he hasn't actually gone and done anything against me. Not sure what he was doing, Loki said he had been keeping tabs on him and Bruce since we were put down here. Not actually really sure what he meant by that but, that was alright.  
Also Brucie was totally gunna be accepted into the group. He was still my one and only science bro. But now we had a science-ish girl. Isabella knew science pretty well, and as of the past year now knew the fundamentals and basics of engineering and understood physics and all nuclear physicists. She'd do great down in the lab though, even if it was through a glass wall with her watching some tv show about a girl named Buffy who slayed vampires and other creatures of evil. Honestly I understood that show just from all that Isabella had told me about, though I hadn't even seen a single episode for it.

Then there are things I don't understand.

Like the flower, for example.

The actual wallflower made things weird though. I had accepted that we had and would be in this cave for a considerable amount of time after we passed the third month. I had accepted that life was going on outside the layers of rock that we were stuck under. What I was having trouble accepting for this whole year or so in this cave, was the why.  
Honestly me and Isabella had nothing in common. The chances of us meeting at all was a bit daunting, much less being in a good mostly healthy relationship with her. It simply wouldn't have happened in the real world. But this wasn't the real world.

Someone had taken us out of our normal everyday lives, and put us in this cage. They hadn't tortured us, hadn't cut us out for information, water board us to make us create a weapon of destruction for them.

They had put us down in a place where only a person like Loki could get to us it was so secured. It was so secure we didn't even know who 'they' was. They didn't seem to have malicious intent. Isabella and I weren't hurt. Starving yes, a bit freezing a good percentage of the time, of course, but not hurt or in any great pain. No blood had been spilled down here. Just plenty of tears. The worst thing was the threat of infertility but the little bottle look brought that Isabella drank every month fixed that. She still dealt with cramps, hormones, and blood coming out of her vagina every month.

But then why. No ransom, no knives, not even any chains. Just a cave where we had learned how to survive with just two other people for company. And the memories that never in a million years we'd think we would ever remember.

The flower though with the language that not even the prince of Asgard could read, gave us something.

Why were flowers such a big deal in mysteries. The big red flower that is fire, and the magic flower that heals people.  
Honestly I was done with the gardening by now.

The only other pro in this whole thing is that I got to kiss Isabella. We had reached that point in the relationship.

It honestly made me even happier than finding the damn flower on the wall.


	16. Chapter 16

See aside from the crazy da Vinci code gardenia, things were pretty much back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be in the cave.  
I tinkered at the table with my fork/wrench. Isabella cooked, and gardened the pathetic little patch we had. We both did whatever cleaning there was, and there wasn't much.  
Aside from that we talked a lot, drew calendars on the walk, had heart to hearts, talk about the future, talk about the past, and talk about absolutely everything and nothing.  
There wasn't a whole lot to do in our cave.  
Since Loki brought us a deck of cards we'd play. Well, kind of, Isabella would get really excited and competitive and then cheat half of the thing and be very clear that she didn't care that she was cheating because she wanted to win.

So we weren't going to gamble much when we went to Vegas. Isabella just didn't have a poker face.

And finally we got to the kissing stage of the relationship. Nothing too big or passionate, nice close mouthed pecks.

But her lips were so soft and a cute plum pink, that the pecks were amazing. Everything she did was amazing.  
We held hands, and her hands were nice and soft and tiny, and never really got clammy because of how cold it was down in this cave.  
I take it back Isabella was perfect. Pepper had been demanding, harsh, strong willed, and took complete control of things. Including our relationship.  
Isabella while also demanding and strong willed, was a hippie with love. She just let things flow, and she was just so sweet with things. We truly were copilots on our plane of love.

Everything she did in the relationship made sense. She knew nothing about how to be with another partner, and she didn't pretend she did. Pepper was always telling me how I should be, making me do things that I hated. She wanted me to be more open, and tried to force me open when I'd close up more.

Isabella was good at getting me open while not prying. Mostly because I had to do the same thing with her. Soft words, gentle hands, Nothing that would even suggest being intrusive in any way. All the times I'd had to hold her as she sobbed into my chest giving her the heart breaking promise that I wouldn't ever leave her abandoned. All alone to fend for herself. She had abandonment and neglect issues almost as bad as mine.  
When I had my issues she was so kind, and so sweet, making sure I was okay. Not forcing me to make myself okay, but helping me get up in the first place. Reassuring that regardless of whatever my Father, Rogers, Pepper, or what anyone else said or did I was a good person.  
A hero even.

And that I was doing more than enough to improve the world, making it better, no matter what they said. That yes I was once the merchant of death, and he did kind of being on ultron, but the others had done things just as bad or arguably worse and hadn't paid for it.  
I had taken the guilt and the blame, started the accords to take responsibility for the wounds.  
No matter Saul became Paul. I'd never actually read the bible before but Isabella had so I knew that reference well enough.

I knew that the habits I had before the cave, and before afganistan would most likely never return. I'd stopped being a playboy, really, after the Ten Rings took me and put me in there own cave. I could have as many partys and drinks as I wanted but, my bed was a one person extravaganza after everything that had happened. Iron man, the PTSD, and the arc reactor made being it anything but romantic. Honestly Pepper tried, but didn't really have the listening capability that I have. I needed a set of ears, and advice that came from listening.

Suddenly I went from expecting nothing out of the people who slept next to me, to a partner to sleep next to me. Isabella was that, she had never slept around before, never really actually had any grown up romantic interactions ever. She would have never become, what I became and I feel likes thats a big part of this. Also, she made it very clear that we both have some of the same issues. She didn't scream in her sleep anymore, but panic attacks were still very real in both of our lives.

The boy that had left her when she was so young, so vunerable, would pay once I finally got to set eyes on him and his icy set of parents. Some days I still had to hold her together so that she wouldn't fall asleep. It was no surprise that she kept expecting our relationship to break apart and sink like the Titanic. We had her parents divorce to thank for that. Just like some days neither of us ended up going to sleep because the nightmares were getting so bad. Yep, we both still had plenty of things to work through but unlike with Pepper, we both knew that neither of us were perfect.

It was clear too, she had no makeup though I doubt she wore any before so when she broke out which did happen I knew about it, and didn't care. I had a beard now, an actual paul bunyan beard. It was the most wild I'd ever gone before. We couldn't really shave that much, because we had a knife for 'shaving' it couldn't actually get that close to the skin without risking damage. So whenever we lifted up our arms it was Tarzan all over again, and we were totally used to it.

There were probably plenty of habits that I don't know that she has and plenty that I had that hadn't ever shown around her because hello we were in a cave with a still limited amount of supplies. We were okay with it though, and all the weird quirks that popped out under the ground where we were, we were both okay with.

Not to mention the fact that we were in a well established relationship at this point. The nerves weren't as high as a kite as they had been when we first admitted our romantic feelings for each other. We were comfortable with each other, things just moved smoothly. There was the occasional jerk in the roller coaster but that was okay, neither of us had any intention of getting off anytime in the see able and unforeseeable future.  
I did get a few bits and pieces of that boyfriend and his family. Pieces that I scrambled to my chest like food to a starving men. And they were interesting.

All my Adams family and Buffy jokes were getting a bit creepy, mostly because Isabella told me that the family was really pale and never really ate much. And that there was a hospital record from when she lived with her father, that they had completely lied about, and that the sister and former creepy best friend had made evidence to support the lies.  
Anyway, Isabella obviously wasn't going to tell me much more about that topic. I was on the hint that they may have been a bit more than human, but I'd definitely be looking into some of the files from that town.

Honestly that family just got creepier and creepier with the stuff that seeped through Isabella's filter.

I didn't care about that part other than that they'd been a big part of hurting Isabella. I still loved her just as much. So maybe a part of my instinct was telling me that they might have resembled steroid freaks without all the steroids. Isabella didn't feel okay telling me things, and that was okay. Plus if my hunch was correct, then that was okay. I would just find out myself and move on.  
Honestly I'm pretty positive that Pepper had cheated on me at least once or twice during our relationship. I wasn't with her anymore. I was with Isabella, and it was perfect.

Isabella who wouldn't stop carving at the wall, and cheating when we played literally any card game, and couldn't lie about anything without her ears turning red from trying so hard.

Loki was over the moon about us being together. We had told him to tell everyone outside that we were together, so it wouldn't surprise anyone. There were certain things I didn't want Isabella to experience, or at least watered down experiences. Everyone, and I mean Everyone being shocked and surprised and hurt or angry at us being together was not one of them.  
Also I never wanted her to ever meet Steve Rogers. We both agreed on that part.  
Loki kept bringing the vials of potion every month, but recently it went from one to two. One was to keep her healthy enough to keep menstruating at a healthy normal rate, the other was to make sure that she was still healthy enough that when she wanted to have kids the condition of the rest of her body wouldn't change that. The best part was that she told me herself.  
Loki had explained to me that aside from that, the second potion was literally healing all the shrapnel and damage left of it. After that, the arc reactor would just kind of slowly dissolve, go through Isabella's system, and be no more. I knew that because I let Loki bring me the same potion. Only it wouldn't affect the arc reactor, only the shrapnel by my heart and make sure I was healthy. I didn't want to throw away the one part of Yinsen I had left. Isabella got that too, and was literally the most chill person in the while universe and realms with how she took everything.

So I was happy, and the things were setting into place. None of us knew it, but puzzles were fitting together nicely, all put together neatly into something strange and beautiful.


	17. Chapter 17

No one could have warned us that any of this would have ever happened. It was like with Iron Man, who knew a trip to Afghanistan to release a big weapon would unleash a Black Sabbath song.

Only in the cave, I never expected it to happen. Not like this anyway.

Everything was going to hell.

Remember how Isabella and I kept getting skinnier and skinnier as time went on. Remember how her body stopped working correctly, and stopped menstruation. The bottles that Loki had to bring her every month to keep it going. Most of all getting rid of the arc reactor in her chest so that her body wouldn't have any complications when having children.

Remember the cold, the freezing nights, the two of us cuddling into the thin blanket trying the hardest to stay warm.

It was all catching up to the human body, all the stress, the changes in temperatures, the extended starvation of each of our ribs slowly becoming visible. Our energy from day to day slowly becoming slimmer, the amount of activity we could do lessening over the time in this cave.

Only it wasn't catching up with mine. Yet.

Isabella, who because of her bad eating habits and the over exausting sleeping schedule from when she was in college, only to be put here made the affects slam her way sooner. The second vial that Loki had given her, the one to heal her chest and therefore the reactor, only worked when it extended over a large amounts of energy in the body. So it was using a lot of energy that was already being drained out of her body to heal her chest.

It started using energy she no longer had anymore. So then, last week it finally all came down. Somewhere around noon or early afternoon while I was tinkering with something, when she was gardening fainted and fell to the floor. I heard the clutter, and thinking she just tripped simply walked over.

Only to find her on the floor, passed out.

I of course had a panic attack, which I had to push down the best I could, and ran to her. Most people would assume that a person would have seen the signs, but all the signs of fainting were in normal everyday life at this point. Isabella was already pale, already yawned a lot, already experiences slight dizziness at times. Normally when that happens she'll just go lay down, but this time no.

I checked her pulse and it was light, but there. I cursed myself for not doing the examination that I normally would do this morning. We had gotten up late and I had forgotten it.

I layed her on the ground, ripped up her shirt collars, and the waist to her pants, grabbed the blanket took it to her, lifting up her legs and putting them on the bundle. Even though she was breathing, just to be sure, I lifted up her chin.

In that one minute that she was passed out, it felt like hours. We didn't have doctors, no medicine, nothing I could give her to fix this. I couldn't drive her to the ER, or call 911 to help with this. The only resource I had to go for help was

"Loki" I screamed as loud as I could panicked. He could come, he would know what to do.  
Immediately after I called he appeared in one of the corners of the walls.  
The prince without missing a beat came over and slightly reposition Isabella's body.  
"Anthony, what happened"  
"I don't-I don't know. S-she just passed out. Her pulse is there but it's weak and."  
Loki put a hand out shushing me

"It's alright Tony, I'm not angry. How long has she been passed out."

"Maybe a minute." I said, still barely able to keep it together.  
He nodded before touching his palm to her face and murmuring something I couldn't hear.  
Then right as he took it off, Isabella's eyelids started fluttering. Her fingers and toes twitched, and a moment later her eyes opened revealing the beautiful chocolate brown pupils that I loved to see, slightly dazed looking but okay.  
The pupils that turned right to me as I was hovering over her.

"Tony?" She asked, "whats wrong, what happened."

Then after I carried her to bed to rest, I talked with Loki.  
"You two have been down here too long, it's consequences are just beginning."  
"What are you saying? We've been down here, what, a year and five months. Yes, a while. Isabella and I haven't had any issues like this."  
"Isabella's suffering from extreme malnutrition, and the prolonged cold, her body is taking its toll. Not to mention having to cleanse her body of all the shrapnel in her chest. From here forward, until we get you two out, her condition is only going to get worse."

I was stricken, worse. How could anything be worse than the last hour of my life.  
But I accepted it, something like this was bound to happen. but now.  
"What's going to happen?"  
Loki looked at me warily as if trying to figure out what to tell me.

"Isabella's going to get more and more ill. She won't have much energy. Her bones are frail. The potion for getting rid of the shrapnel made things worse. In the next few hours she'll have the beginnings of a fever, in a few days the nausea will set in. About two weeks extended movements will be nearly impossible for her. More headaches, with an intenser velocity. Her body is going to get weaker, and weaker, and will continue so until she gets the proper help from your midguardian healers."

I swallowed thickly, feeling the impending doom of what would happen to her if we didn't get out soon, what Loki didn't tell me.

"What can we do."

Loki looked just as sad as I did, but continued hopefully.

"Get her to rest as much as she can, it'll help her in the temporary healing. Give her smaller more frequent meals, tomorrow I'll come with whatever potions and things I can bring with me to help. Keep her warm. Nothing too exciting for her, alright. Meanwhile I'll be working as hard as I can to ensure you get out as fast as I can, preferably before the worst.

Then he left, leaving me alone with her. I sat next to the bed, and next to her. I thought of everything, of the past year in the cave, the years before that. I thought about Steve, Bucky, and the Winter Soldier. I thought about the Avengers. I thought about trees, grass, cars, rainstorms, sidewalks, and sunlight. I thought about Happy and Rhodey.

I thought about Isabella, and her quirkiness, and how the scarlet blush came into her cheeks. I thought of her laugh, and the way her eyes lit up when she was happy.  
I thought of her gardening, and cooking, and all the interesting conversations she had. I thought about how her life was in college, and doucheward, and her parents.  
Of how kind and smart she was, not to mention more patient than I've ever met anyone.

I loved her so, so much. Now as I looked at her body, cheeks sullen, skin pale. Sharp corners where there should be softer edges. Her bony hands and wrists. The haziness in her eyes when she'd first opened them after she passed out. I thought of how I had thought she was thin when we first got in here, compared to the pile of bones that held her soul in right now. I deserved this kind of fate, Merchant of Death all the way, but her. She had done literally nothing bad to anyone at anytime since she was born, only bad things being done to her. From her parents divorce, to her mom not being the best mom, to her parents, to switching schools, to doucheward, not to mention everything following the devils spawn.

I knew that if this was what happened with Isabella was true, I was going to do everything to make it easier, slower, she wouldn't do that much in day to day life but be comfortable. Isabella would fight me on this, and I expected it. Her life was worth the argument. It would be long tiring, but I didn't want to loose Isabella. I didn't want to have her last moments of life be in the prison. I could give her that much, if we made it out she would be okay. It was easy to fix with resources, nearly impossible without them. But I would do whatever it took to make sure she lasted until then.

I knew if it didn't, then Isabella's fate would become mine as well. It wouldn't matter then though. Because she would be gone, and I would be alone all over again. The thing that made me feel like the sun was something she built in her shed for me would no longer exist for my love anymore. I couldn't do anything about it, not much anyway. Maybe have her live a month longer, Loki had told me than the expected rate. She would last two and a half months verses the one and a half.

All I could do was pray to the god that I knew existed, that we would leave here. At the very least that she would leave here. That she would get to live.

For now all I'm able to do is hold her close, her cute hands that fit right in mind. Enjoy the warmth that her body is somehow still able to provide. Trace the weird mark on her wrist, and love her as much as I could. Love her with my entire heart, mind, and soul, because thats all I could give her. That wasn't enough.

I clutched her and sobbed, just cried.

Why... out of all the people in this world that this had to happy.

Why

why her.


	18. Chapter 18

I don't know how much more of this I can take.  
So far Isabella's been taking the change of her body as well as one would expect, therefore not at all. At first she fought it really hard, thrashing, snapping, throwing things, acting like the prospect of bed rest was nothing but blasphemy. She wasn't made to be in a bed, for goodness sakes she was 22. I was 39, and the age gap killed me everyday as is.  
I didn't mind it as much, and Isabella didn't seem to mind at all in the first place. It just wasn't a big priority to worry about.

Who knew if either of us would live long enough to see people's reactions when they saw the gap. In all honestly, if Loki had done what he was supposed to then the freak out would be far less. But the reactions could only be seen if we both lived, not one or the other or neither. However Isabella decided that it was worth worrying about.  
Why?  
Because Isabella Marie Swan is an angel. Not to mention she notices any change in behavior.

No one is able to go that far when there that weak though. So eventually she calmed down and allowed us to make her as comfortable as could be while she rested. She simply didn't have the energy to do much anymore. So the days were spent as they had been loosely before, in bed sharing stories and thoughts with one another. I got to know so much about Arizona, more than I had even seen in a resort. In key, I told Isabella about the houses I would take her to when we got out. How many acres, bedrooms, floors, TV channels. Each one of them made her happy, hopeful, and that was all that I had honestly ever wanted. I needed her to be in as least amount of stress as I could get her in. Loki had said that the more stress she had the faster she would burn out. Vise versa, the more amount of happiness the better she would be at doing at least a little more healing than beforehand.

It didn't last long though, Isabella as weak as she was, refused to rest an extended amount of time. Literally killing herself to stay up and going, rather than simply relax. It was like watching a toddler but worse, because this was a 22 year old that had been and was still trapped in a cave fore more than a year. Then the crazy thing happened. In a short summary when I was sleeping Isabella had gotten the habit of getting up and going over every bit of the cave. Over, and over, and over again. She began digging into the walls again, for what I didn't know.

Then after when she was satisfied that nothing had appeared she would snuggle back up in the sheets and sleep peacefully and be complacent when I was awoken with her. I probably wouldn't have found out if it hadn't happened, really this is something that had hopped out of a show about vampires or something.

So Isabella decided that just exploring the cave wasn't enough. She dug down deep in her soul, and found every type of ritual she could find that she had seen on shows and put them to use. God bless Sarah Michelle Gellar. She took anything she could remember out of her beloved television experience and put it on the flower marks on the wall. So she took some salt spread it on, spit,tears, water, hell I don't know how but she managed to make her own 'holy water' and sprinkle that on as well. Nothing happened with those because nothing would, as one would accept.

As a last resort though, after cleaning the wall off each and every time she did one of these experiments she'd kind of kick it off the list of her knowledge to what was the easiest to hardest to achieve in our beloved cave. Only one of the liquids would go on each night, then she would start over the next. What would be the hardest one to get you may ask? In this case, because Isabella knew how to make Holy Water, it would be blood.

Not because of her hurting herself I was guessing, oh no, but because she knew I would notice any scratches or changes in her condition. It had been almost trained into me as an instinct to know when she was hurt with even the slightest scrape.

She was putting a lot of faith in her blood if you ask me, and to be surprised it payed off.

This girl I fell in love with was the ever determined reader, decided that to get the blood she wasn't even going to try to hide it from me. Not really because she cut the one part of her I held almost everyday. She cut her palm, not really big or deep but enough to get out some blood. She was going all Divergent with how she wanted this to go, I've never been more inspired in my life. Especially because I've never read or seen either of them and only knew them detail to detail from what Isabella had told me after she had read and seen both of them on repeat.

So after drawing the blood, I guess she smeared some on her hand, and high fived the wall with it.

What happened next is nuts.

I wasn't there for the beginning of this process, I was happily passed out on the bed.

It started glowing, only for a minute at most it started glowing. At this point I woke up because the light coming from the wall was so damn bright. It was something unlike anything I had ever seen in all by 39 years of sight.

The flower on the wall was glowing, a beaming light. Not only that, but Isabella was too. Her skin like a glow stick slowly spreading across her body. All her wounds healed, any scratches or scrapes, or the littlest scab she could have gotten in that bleeding cut on her arm that I barely noticed before it was healed in seconds. It didn't get rid of her weakness completely, but it lightened it. All her scars were taken away, the one on her wrist, her leg, or her side simply disappearing as if they had never happened at all.

She looked like an angel, a beacon, a lighthouse, and she looked invincible, and so so breathtaking.

I called her name and she looked towards me, looking happier then she had the first time that we kissed. Everything about her was turned up to dial eleven, and seeing her eyes without the dread and for just moments without the the bags and the weight that life had given her. Her skin was a healthy sort of tan, not the porcelain pale it was the constantly reminded me of the fact that she needed to get to the sun.

She smiled at me, and laughed. Giggling in an almost bubbly manner, energy storming out of her. The light had consumed her being and was being emitted from somewhere within her.

"I love you more than you can even begin to know Anthony."

Something snapped inside of me, realizing what was happened. I rushed towards her, ignoring instinct telling me it probably wasn't a good idea. Her skin glowed even more the closer it was, and I knew it wasn't an illusion any longer. I wanted to worry more, but part of me couldn't manage it.

Isabella looked like she was the baby-sun in teletubbies.

"Tony, don't worry" She said in a reassuring tone, "Its not hurting me."

I soaked in what she looked like when she wasn't dying, when whatever it was made her glow. This would have consequences later I knew that. No one was turned luminescent without having something else thrown into the party too. But in the moment, I was just happy that she was happy.

Then as fast as it started, it reversed slowly yet quickly. The light seemed to draw away from her body, then collecting it into a little ball. The energy splashing, occasionally lashing out, but in a ball the size of Isabella's hand either way. Isabella was still slightly tan but it was washing off of her, joining the glowing entity that was giving off the light. It placed itself in front of Isabella, shining on her similar to a flashlight, then it got really close to her and her eyes started doing this flashy glowing thing. That only lasted about ten seconds at tops, before a current started going.

For a few moments it felt like a low scale tornado was going down inside our very own Siberian cave because of the sunbeam. It got close to the flower on the wall and was at the peak of its brightness, before the lights gave out of Isabella's eyes, and she plopped to the floor as the light disappeared through the wall.

In the darkness I grabbed my beloveds limp body, having seemed to go unconscious after whatever the hell had just happened. Her skin was pale again, but less of death,and her body had a slight bit of a feverish warmth to it.

I looked at her where all the scars on her body had been. The major ones had dimmed, echos of former injuries such as the one on her wrist. The minor ones were just gone.

I would later find out by Loki later that whatever had happened to her saved her, given her just enough strength to make it to the end with the amount of bed rest she was on.

Whatever else it might have done to her however...

I was just glad that she was alive regardless of the condition.


	19. Chapter 19

Everything had gone back to the closest to normal they could in the cave. Whatever happened when Isabella became a glow stick, seemed to fix her body and its problems. Not completely but enough that she would live.  
She was still skinny but not so deathly pale as she had been, she wasn't so weak anymore. The bags under her eyes were lighter and she no longer looked like she was on the brink of death anymore. She looked more herself if just slightly thinner and a bit more pale than we had been when we entered the cave.  
Loki had visited seconds after whatever had happened ended. He had told us basically what we had figured out on our own. Isabella was alright now, the situation was no longer critical, and she was alive.  
And we had no idea what else happened. No machines or medical equipment, Loki's magic couldn't tell us a lot either. So we took it day by day, until a week later things got a bit more insane than it had been beforehand.

Neither of us had expected it. we had been in the cave for sixteen months for heavens sake, a year away from the world. Not to mention that because neither or us were dying, we weren't praying to be rescued. Too much false hope had done that too us, and the only reason why we were still alive and well was because of the crazy that went down with the lights.

I got up to find Isabella already awake and making oatmeal.

"Good morning ,gorgeous."

I pecked her on the lips, hugging her from behind  
"Morning beautiful."  
I went and began cutting some of the gross raisins out of the bag and put them in their own kettle to boil.  
"How early did you get up, I didn't notice you."  
She shrugged "I don't know, maybe an hour ago. I was awake earlier, but it felt weird getting up so I stayed in bed until I felt okay."  
I nodded knowing. Not knowing what had happened wasn't doing either of us any peace of mind. She had started saying that her skin felt tingly, and at times a bit too warm at an almost feverish level. I couldn't do anything about it, even when we were out these kinds of things were a bit beyond us. The fact we had been here so long had its affects as usual of course

When I was twenty one I was drinking till I couldn't see, gambling till the sun got up, and sleeping with enough girls to start a village. here she was twenty two and in a cave for half of it. I still had the dreams though, the ones where we were out of this damn cave and I take her to see the world. We finally get to go on a proper date, and we kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower or something. I get to take her to the tower, introduce her to Rhodey finally. and maybe, just maybe in the really nice dreams we get married and if she wants them kids. but they were just dreams, yes we had a love story but it was just the two of us in the cave together and the occasional Loki stopping by. How much I wished to be able to give her the world, she'd never have to worry about paying rent or college tuition when we got out. She had told me that if we got out that she would move into the tower if I'd let her. And darn right she would, if anything was like it was with Afghanistan being away from each other would be a pain. Isabella could have your own floor, or we could make mine ours. I just didn't want her too far away ever. That made her smile, and that smile made me happy. We were in here for God knows how long and the only thing helping was the fact that we were both still here.

And so it was, I hugged Isabella tightly from the back trying to comfort her. trying to give her as much company as I could trying to avoid consequences that this could have when we got out. I kissed behind her ear, pecked her cheeks and lips, hoping to remind her that not all was lost.  
Trying to get rid of the dark look in her eyes. The sad look that made me want to buy her an island.  
Now I knew all about her father, boyfriend, mother, and stepfather. not to mention all about her hometown. And how much I couldn't wait to meet them all. the look was the worst when she turned 22, the knowledge that she was wasting what were supposed to be the best years of her life in a cave. there really was nothing sweet, nothing to give her any joy. then I started singing. Little lullabies that made her laugh harder than ever before.

That wasn't what was crazy, the fact that I was managing a healthy relationship, hell no that stopped being news a long time ago. What was crazy was with the fact of all we had been through, in this cave, how we had both nearly forgotten about it. It finally happened. What Natasha, Loki, and whomever else was looking for us finally found us.

I was working on putting together some sort of lamp for the bedroom when it happened. Isabella was tending the garden, and all was peaceful. Then the banging started.

It sounded like a construction zone but so much worse and so much louder. it began with faint little thumps but occasionally got louder. thump, Thump, BANG. When a bigger hit was made Isabella who had somehow day dreamed through the other parts jumped, and then ran around the corner as did I.

"Tony, what was that."

Bits and pieces from the ceiling fell down, not a lot just little ones but it was still strange. Still not sure I went over and put my hand on the wall and felt a slight tremor, but it wasn't an earthquake but it was something else. Another tremendous bang happened and slightly bigger chunky rocks fell from the walls. even with all we had been through nothing was preparing us for this. The lights flashed for a few moments and then went off. The banging continued above us, never ending and consistent. Below our feet the ground began to make a slight little hum, a bit like a tread mill just without all the moving. I looked at Isabella's eyes, those beautiful soulful chocolate brown eyes, that held the women I loved behind them. I saw the fountain of youth and wisdom behind them, but behind that I saw confusion, wonder, fear, and a lot of trying to figure out what was going on. I watched as behind her shoulder something blasted, like a grenade or something, hitting her in the back. Her gasp of surprise at the hit, and my immediate grabbing her. Stuff was going down around us and we had no idea what to do about any of it.

I pushed us underneath the table just as an exploding bang came and actually rocks came off the stone around us. I made a cocoon around Isabella, feeling her body tense and stiff underneath me. Yes, she wasn't heading towards fear now her mind was going into battle mode. Not wanting her hero complex that was more terrifying than mine to come out I rubbed into her shoulders calming her down. Wrong idea because after I calmed her down, another blast from a wall came and hit the table. Hearing the plitter platter above our heads on the table I was scaled into a panic attack. We were going to die because these idiots didn't know how to handle a proper search and rescue. Isabella being the angel that she immediately started whispering equations and scientific theories, and her favorite episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her voice tuning out all the more banging and rocks falling around us. The angelic vocal cords she contained telling me all the things to calm me down and help me get better. I got my breathing under control, and she quickly took out one last vial hidden in her pocket. I brought mine out as well. Then looking at each other as we did so we took the last thing that would tie us into cave. One last gulp of the liquid that was both saving us and almost killed Isabella.

The banging changed in the middle of drinking the vial, and turned into drilling. So instead of just the ceiling falling apart, a big wrenching line split through the floor. Isabella shrieked and we moved the table away from it. As they got closer to finding us, things became even more chaotic in the cave. We heard my things on the garage area fall down, the garden patch split in half. Glasses and packets of food we had been eating getting ripped open and spilled everywhere. Our life in the cave was literally falling apart. The cave started groaning, as me and Isabella watched the wall split, right in the middle of one of the crazy flowers. Specifically the one with blood on it.

Then in one gaping hit of a large boulder on the ground, we felt it. They had found us.

Little bits of yellow light came that was a miracle in itself.  
"Tony?" Isabella questioned.  
I shrugged not knowing  
"I really don't know princess."  
Then I heard a voice I thought I would never hear again  
"Tony Stark!" someone yelled from above.  
We both looked at each other in a daze. then if all impossibility more rocks were moved out of the way.  
"Anthony Stark, and Isabella Swan. Are you down there."  
I turned to the opening  
"Yeah, I'm down here." I called back out.  
"I told you they're down here."  
I heard the God of mischief say. then slowly Isabella crawled out.  
"Loki?"  
"Yes, Bella darling we're getting you out."  
The look in her eyes in the idea that leaving was nothing but a dream proved just how much of a toll it had taken on her. then a bigger rock came down, and I had to pull her out of the way. a big gush of wind came down, it was fresh and clean and it felt beautiful. then slowly tears started coming down her face and it was in that moment that I realized I was crying too. then a two yellow helmets came down, and it made me speechless to realize I was looking at someone new.  
"Ma'am are you alright."  
She nodded.  
Then they got us put into the settles and we started getting pulled up. in that one moment as I pulled Isabella to me, holding her as we hit the chilly air. Real actual air, my lungs couldn't believe I saw Natasha, and wow she was crying too. Then I eased Isabella off of me as Loki took her and they hugged her crying her eyes out. Nat hugged me, and I cried into her shoulder and I looked around. I saw trees and mountains and looked down into the now destroyed cave. Saw the boxes of food and clothes. A year and a half. We had spent a year and a half in that literal hell hole. I looked up and saw the stars, some of the ex avengers. I looked and saw Thor and Loki comforting Isabella, and a doctor that was looking over her. I looked at Steve and my heart stopped and I couldn't believe that he was here. Captain America seemed to understand that right now was not the time to come to me with more letters and flip phones. I looked at Isabella and her eyes filled with so much happiness and joy. We weren't going to die, she was going to get to have kids, and we were outside. Someone, most likely Loki, covered shock blankets over us. Rhodey was walking around on the legs I made him like they weren't even there.

I looked at the girl in my arms, the one I had seen sleeping next to me a year and a half earlier, that I couldn't help but feel the overwhelming love in my heart in that moment.

"Isabella" She looked at me, pale thin skin, and she was so beautiful.

"We're free."


	20. Chapter 20

UPDATE: I am not dead

So basically I'm in a performing theatrical wahoo and it swallowed my life in rehearsals like the monster it is. Then my educational schedule decided I couldn't have a life. I would like to apologize in a begging manner because I saw how long its been since I put up the last chapter and I am sorry. Depending on how the next few days go we'll see what happens next, but I promise to try my hardest to write and put a few chapters up over the holiday.

I'm sorry I haven't given y'all in a while.

BTW their out of the cave. Tell me who you think put them down there, because even I don't actually know.

Sincerely,

PotionsInMotion

After being stuck in a cave for such a long time real life can be a bit overwhelming and some things can help with it but there's only so much. After getting out of the cave we had to take a helicopter to get through all the mountains. Isabella was frozen the whole entire time in my arms. She'd already had one panic attack when some medical personal tried to put us in separate transportation so that the doctors would have more room. it didn't go over well and we took one helicopter, it was a good idea because she has obviously never been on anything other than your economy flights.

After Isabella tossed her cookies on some snow, we went from the helicopter to a small private jet of mine. It was nicer and we both took it a lot nicer than we would have otherwise. Also it turns out the only thing either of us could handle at the moment were wonderful saltine crackers and water.

We took a straight plane to , then as fast as possible because neither of our minds were taking any of this very well, we got on one of my most plain jets to get back to New York. Why?

A short stop in London, and we were going back to the red white and blue.

Isabella was more than a little bit terrified of Russia. Loki joined us at that point and the whole thirteen hour flight back along with some random male nurse, and Rhodey. Our release though how it seemed was a bit unexpected.

Pepper was still nowhere to be seen. Not that I minded of course

Rhodey didn't let me go for at least a good two minutes, he had wanted to see me so bad. Isabella seemed to be getting along with everyone so far, although in the first few hours in the plane she'd had at least two panic attacks and hour. I was now seeing why everyone was so concerned about me after I had gotten out of the cave and after the Battle of New York. It was going to take a lot of time for both of us to get anywhere in the aims.

So in those thirteen hours we slept, or at least tried to sleeping on a mattress seemed a bit strange. We watched in complete fascination a few movies, at least one season of The Office, and still could not stop staring at the television screen that had since captivated our minds. Things like light bulbs, air vents, and other seemingly normal first world materials were suddenly very different. It was like when I came back from Afganistan except it was a lot worse and everything was amplified.

Eventually we did however make it through the rest of the flight by playing card games because those didn't freak us out, and landed in the Big Apple. I guess that Natasha had made it so that whenever we did come back Isabella and I would be able to come back without any issues with the embassies.

Everyone had made sure to not publicize our rescue until after we were in a secure place. I couldn't be more glad, and I thanked whoever it was that kept the paparazzi and there snapping cameras away from the two of us.

We walked from the plane to the airport which had been made empty for our arrival.

We were out then, and the air was a lot nicer outside of the cave. It smelled like smoke and chillis and South America. The wind, oh my goodness, blew through Isabella's hair. The lights glinted, and put more of a view on Isabella's weakened features. It wasnt as bad as it had been, but unless you knew how bad it was before no one would be able to see how bad it actually was.

We were then escorted by Happy in my old Audi to stark tower where the doctors would be meeting us and the medical wing was going to house our recovery. All was ready since I had made the protocols myself so that anyone on the top level of my friendship got perfection.

"So boss, the kids gunna be so happy to have you back."

"The kid?"

Happy nodded "Yep, spidey is still going strong."

"Really."

"Not much action for him though, used to constantly ask for missions. The kid brings down crime like you wouldn't believe."

"Wow" I whispered in a soft voice.

"And don't bother about she's just gotten on the fastest flight here. Tokoyo to London to DC, it's the only route she could go on since I'm not there. Pepper will be here in about two days."

"How's she been."

"Good-good. taking care of the company you know. Been missing you. Loki wouldn't let her help look for you."

I chuckled, "Sounds just like him."

He quieted down after that,

Happy kept looking back repeatedly at us, glancing at a now sleeping Isabella. Jet lagged and our bodies were on crazy clocks. We weren't on Russian,New York, or London sleeping schedules. Before after the Battle of New York I wasn't this bad off. So I cradled her as we continued driving to the tower, more happy than I could ever be.

I saw them then, the lights. Twinkling, shining, multicolored lights. Streetlights,lamps, convenience stores, hell I saw a Walmart. Shaking Isabella awake you would've thought I brought her to Disneyland or something.

"Anthony what in the world."

I would've felt bad because I was fairly certain she had a headache after all of this traveling, but it was made up for.

"Are we back."

The tall tower came into view, my tall blistering tower, and I saw the glinty name of STARK shining brightly. I had known about the change but I had never been more powerful. Isabella's brown eyes reflected the light as we exited the car once we arrived. I took in a deep breath of beautiful over polluted Manhattan air. Never had I felt more relieved to be breathing the most American air, and I knew I was home.

As we went through the lobby with sunglasses on in the middle of the night, up the elevator where we were greeted by FRIDAY who made Isabella jump with fright.

Doctors came out like parasites and while normally I would love to see them, they had to do about a dozen tests on the two of us and we had to be seperated. While it was only for a short time, I had never truly left Isabella ever for a year and a half. After a short thirty minutes we were told that the remaining tests could be taken in the morning and over the next few days and weeks.

We requested that we be placed in the same room if not the same bed. So as we tucked ourselves in to the matress in the clean smelling air, and the shower gel that Isabella put on, and situated ourselves into each others arms, we fell asleep preparing to meet the world again.


	21. Chapter 21

Alright I would like to take a moment to beg for forgiveness. A month ago I said I'd update in two weeks. Its been a month. In a short summary my life went to hell for what ended up being a horrible vacation. Finally though my life has returned to an almost near normal state. I will keep writing don't worry.

I am really sorry that it took so long for me to get the energy to write again.

Lots of love

xoxoxoxPotionsinMotion

My hands were squeezed tightly, the grip strong enough that it almost hurt.

Then it released for a few moments and the doctor said  
"Alright just one more."  
Breathing deeply I prepared again, and as expected the iron hand returned with her head on my chest and tears rolling down her cheek.  
Last night we had gotten to the tower at late. We had to get dozens of tests done most of which we were able to stay together for bit the few that we were seperated for we're torture.  
Waking up on a mattress next to Isabella had to be the thing that made today beautiful. We weren't freezing, and that in itself seemed like a miracle. We had taken our showers, I blessed the never ending hot water. Isabella was taking being separated worse than a homesick toddler, and if I'm being fully honest so was I. She had sat on the bathroom counter while I was in the shower patiently waiting for me to come oout  
We'd never been away from each other in the past year, and we hasn't given it much thought in the cave.  
After we were smelling nice and clean and Isabella smelling like oranges because of the shower gel she picked out, we had breakfeast delivered. It was simple: pancakes and fruit. However subject of the matter is that we hadn't eaten anything fresh outside of the garden where everything was a bit grody. Having anything that was made from scratch was a luxury, one we hadn't had.  
So breakfast was amazing until fifteen minutes after when we were chugging our lungs out. Then the doctor came to visit us.  
was a nice man and one of the best in his field. He gave Isabella a simple check, one for me as well, and then started with the fixing. We had both needed a half a dozen shots, and Isabella didn't like needles. Leading to me getting my hand squeezed but it got what would prevent any infections inside Isabella. We had to swallow quite a bit of things, most which tasted foul but my beloved had no problems with that.  
When left he gave us simple instructions: when you go outside wear sunscreen and sunglasses. Everything around was to be very clean for now. Foods would have to be reintroduced from here on out.

At the end he took me aside and whispered to me his concerns.  
"She's weaker than you,"  
Her illness from the cave was still fixing itself  
"Get her to eat as much as you can. She'll continue to vomit, but more food will be getting down. She majorly needs to gain more weight and I'd like to do so as fast as we can with the lack of a feeding tube.'

I agreed whole heartedley.  
However it's not until after that things started getting exciting. See the medical floor of the tower was still a fully operating floor with kitchens, offices, bedrooms, even a small apartment for the full time nurses and doctors. So midday we decided to go to the dining area to get something to eat.  
"So are you ready." I whispered to Isabella.  
"Yes, I'm fine"  
"Fine? because we can just wait another week or so to go with other actual people."  
She wrapped her arms around my neck.  
"Anthony, if we don't do it now we'll just keep putting it off. Procrastination rarely does any good."  
I nodded "yes, but in this case I feel like no harm will be done."  
Running her small skinny fingers through my hair just like she knew I loved it.  
"I feel in this case, going out to get food that isn't disgusting sounds joyous. Just don't leave my side, or go too far away, and all will be dandy."

"Alright" I nodded, "but if either of us feel awkward or nervous. Look at the other person like theres a serial killer behind them, Okay."

Isabella nodded and we held hands, me specifically going in front of her. The air was going to take getting used to, I could hear it going through the vents. Windows were everywhere, just like I had designed it so many years ago. For a moment we stood by the window next to the hallway that would lead to the kitchen space. The sunlight, the day light, the people, the buildings, everything was an absolute astonishing.

"its so big" Isabella murmured, " I never realized how much space there was in this world."

"Its huge."

In the distance I could see central park, next to it times square, and I knew I could not be more at home. Especially with the woman of my life with me.

Taking her by the hand I lead her through the winding halls that were slowly being renewed in my mind. The cave was little more than a one room apartment/prison that we had been in, and I was complimenting myself on just how spacious I made everything. Not to mention all of the colors went together in ways that I'd never mentioned. Whoever I hired as a interior designer was getting an extra payment after this.

We heard voices coming from the kitchen space and Isabella stopped abruptly, and I looked back immedietly concerned.

"What is it, whats wrong"

"Who is it?" She whispered, obviously nervous.

"What do you mean"

Her eyebrows and head gestured in the direction of the dining area

" _Who_ is out there?"

I listened for a few moments to the voices in the kitchen, and to Isabella's stiff breathing.

"Alright it sounds like Happy,Natasha and Vision maybe?"

Isabella's eyes went as wide as saucers in that moment. For a good few seconds her mind seemed to be racing WAY faster than usual.

"How do I look."

"Beautiful" I responded automatically as if it was a reflex.

"No you hopeless romantic, how do I actually _look_."

I looked at her brown eyes, long luscious hair, small petite features.

A bit pale, too thin definitely, but nothing to distract from the main attraction.

"Honestly you look like a warrior goddess, powerful independent and beautiful. Slightly thin but that's alright."

Without looking me in the eye she nodded and continued staring at where the small corner between us and the kitchen was.

Still as a statue, brave as an eagle, stiff as stone.

She just kept staring.

"If you don't wanna do this today thats fine. We can wait until tomorrow, or later today. Just.."

I trailed off thinking

"Whenever you're ready. No rush. If you don't want to go, I don't want to go."

In silence she kept staring, then grabbed my arm suddenly.

"No, lets go interact with actual people. But we should do so swiftly and with precison."

We held our arms together looking into each others eyes, and in blinking we counted.

One...Two...THREE!

I lead us out again. One glance at Widow and I knew that she had been listening in. A raised eyebrow was nothing like I expected. It was subtle, and wouldn't have been notived if you hadn't recognized the familiar face of a spy.

What that said about my previous life choices didn't give me much if any confidence on the case at hand.

Isabella was still a jittery mess, and Widow was taken to her and gave a gentle safe vibe off of her in ways I still didn't know how she did it.

"Look who made it out of the hermit crab."

I smiled lightly, hoping my mind would make her go away.

"Can I get either of you anything."

Isabella blushed just I knew she would, and I felt her grip my hand even harder.

"Oh no, I couldn't bother you."

"Don't be so modest, you've been in a cave and never here before. Its my job to make sure you two are alright."

"Alright." Isabella said shyly.  
I opened a cupboard where the coffee had been originally kept. Or so I thought when I ended up with spices.  
"Maybe just reminding me where everything is kept, I honestly don't remember much right now."

Natasha pulled out the bag of coffee, and my lips curled in distaste. Decaf.  
"You haven't eaten regular food in over a year, much less any caffeine."  
Then while I cooked up a few pancakes Natasha pointed out where things were kept to Isabella.  
"So what do you want to do with your life now that you're out of the cave."

I listened to her response as I maneuvered as much food as I could possible imagine getting inside Isabella on a of soup, a little fruit, and a yogurt on the side. I just hoped the fruit and yogurt wouldn't complicate it too much.

Smiling she responded almost as surely as the first time we exchanged an 'I love you'

"All I want to do with my life now, is live."

The three others were speechless for a few moments, and not long later they left us alone.

When the day was over, after I'd held Isabella's hair back from vomiting half of what she'd eaten out, when the plans for the next day were set, and I held her in my arms finally realizing the depths of what had happened. We had gotten out of the cave, nothing was holding us back anymore. But I still felt all the bones beneath Isabella's skin, still saw the pale deathly look from when she'd gotten sick. Before when my nightmares were of Afghanistan, or Ultron, or the end of the world a new plague swarmed in. Sitting at the love of my life's bedside praying for her to heal, not wanting her to die. Her wounded body laying next to mine and not believing that someone was down there with me. Her eyes filling with tears as she told me what had happened to make her so scared of the world, of the man that had left her bloody and abandoned. The tears the panic attacks, the selflessness that she carried that would do nothing but hurt her. Finally the glow that saved her from the brink of death that I just knew would have consequences.

So when I was done crying of the phantoms that were in my mind, I made one last strong vow.

I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that Isabella Swan got to live a long happy life.


	22. Pepper

Pepper Potts lived a perfect life, with a perfect house, a perfect car, a perfect schedule, and a perfect face and temper. Everything was neat and organized, put with a level of sophistication that not many could pull off. The former assistant to Tony Stark, now the CEO of Stark Industries.

Waking up at 5:30 sharp, went on a short jog around the block, came back, showered, ate a perfect meal of coffee eggs and toast. Then work started and she paraded the Stark Industries building in Tampa Florida. She was in the New York building for a long time, but dealing with Tony had become too much so a switch was made.

For the first six months living by the ocean was perfect, as was everything in her life. For once Tony wasn't hanging over her head like an unwanted ghost, what with iron man, and those nonsense filled panic attacks. Sleeping alone in a bed was beautiful, not worrying if her former partner had finally gotten over his fear of the dark. Stark Industries blossomed, and then when the accords happened she just had to look the other way and pretend nothing was happening. All was still perfect. Her endless amounts of meetings, dinners, and cappuccinos, could not have made her happier.

Siberia happened, and after one pity party for a press conference, she moved on. Payed the hospital expenses which wasn't even noticed with the obscene amount of wealth she was aquiring. She didn't sleep alone often at that point, her bed becoming home to the men that she's welcome inside. Pepper Potts was becoming popular to everyone in Florida. She worked hard and finally played hard aswell. No wonder Tony had loved gambling so much, with how addicting it is.

All was perfect, far away from Tony and his problems. His super heroing, and his diplomacy, and all of his anxieties.

Nothing could ruin it, nothing could threaten what she had made in the island of sun. The public loved her, she loved her, men loved her. All was truly an image of perfection.

Then he was kidnapped.

No one was certain how it happened at first, Tony had just gone to a gala and not come home that night. Everyone just dismissed it, he was a partyer, sure he hadn't done anything scandalous in eight years but he did know how to have fun. Pictures taken at the party by the paparazzi showed that he had been well behaved and courteous and the public just melted in it. Poor guy, he needed a night off.

But as the next day passed and his twitter was mysterious empty, along with no record of his working in the labs, people were beginning to get concerned. People first pointed to the Rogue Avengers, but at the UN meeting King T'Challa had assured them that the avengers had not left the premises in months. So where did he go.

Pepper smiled for the cameras, and reassured that Tony was just on a vacation. The fight with Rogers had taken a hit on Tony's physical state and he'd been constantly stressed with the Accords and physical therapy. Poor guy needed a break.

Another week passed and still Tony was no where in sight. Pepper was going to skin him when they eventually found him.

Then, after a dangerous three week wait, Anthony Edward Stark was declared missing.

What would happen over the next few months was insane, and Pepper was furious. Tony had been the main R & D guy since he had taken over the company, and of the big money makers had all come from him. Despite him working on something brilliant, once he was declared missing everyone lost the ability to go into his laboratory, or garage, or even somewhere as simple as his bedroom. FRIDAY had it under 's explicit instructions for so to happen. The others engineered did produce things, none of them had the spark of life that Tony's did, all of them crashing once reaching the market. Everyone knew it was because Tony was gone.

Then, after Thanksgiving, Loki appeared. He looked healthy, happy, and more powerful than ever, and he came with news, Tony was still alive along with the one he was being kept with, Isabella Swan.

Isabella Swan was a character to be put shortly, a student at Dartmouth and getting a minor in literature. Grown up in Phoenix, except for two years spent in Washington with her father. Nothing special, nothing fancy, all ordinary. She had nice grades but on paper nothing was out of the ordinary.

Her life was still perfect for a bit. She gave money to find Tony in order to win more public support, then when sales went down she had an official started team to find Tony to get more public support. Sales were down but Pepper was perfect enough that pity got people to come back and buy the weaker products. She still went to parties, and still gambled, still had multiple partners, and still had meetings and dinner for SI.

Then one morning Natasha Romanov turned up at the US Embassy, fully willing to sign to accords. She had given up on Steve and his stubborn group of traitors. All she wanted was for Tony and Isabella to be found and brought back safely.

Pepper couldn't care less that Black Widow was here, only it helped sales so she herself didn't have to go around for pity money.

Still all was perfect.

Flash forward two and a half years and her life was a little less perfect. The public stopped taking her pity so well after a bit, and Stark Industries took a hit because of it. Partying became less fun with less money to spend. The only salary that was being robbed was hers, by a protocol that was made way back when Tony was CEO. When the company went bad none of the employees would lose any money or benefits. Only the board of directors and the head CEO would. Then it became noticeable that her company was going down, suddenly the amount of partners in her bed lessened. She moved to a smaller yet still luxurious house. Because during the pity parade she had signed an order so that the fund and team for finding Tony wouldn't stop until he was found. Despite Pepper being efficient she had no idea how to invent and engineer. Peter Parker helped SI pull out a few products that were better than R&D had made but he was a minor and still couldn't do much.

Now the only chance that Stark Industries wouldn't fall behind too far was if Tony was found and his mind would save them. Nothing less than his brilliance would stop the sinking ship that was his company.

Finally by some miracle, at last the two of them were discovered in a cave deep in the ground in Russia.

It had been two weeks, since then Pepper had been doing nothing but meetings and press conferences. And so she woke up awaiting what would once again be a perfect life. Went on her jog, showered, ate her perfect breakfast, and went to work.

The night before she had flown in from Tampa. There was a plan ahead, greet the two of them warmly and smile for the press, convince Tony to make the main headquarters in Tampa because she didn't want to move, get the bimbo tucked away somewhere else. All would go to plan. Now she could see that she had been harsh when breaking up with Tony.

Recently the spot beside her bed was empty, no one understood how she liked to control certain parts of her life. Including all of the relationships she was made. Tony was alright, Tony had let her take the reins. She had missed how complacent he was, though the issue of his panic attacks would have to be addressed. Pepper simply couldn't handle the stress and insanity of panic attacks. He was supposed to take care of her, not the other way around.

Pepper wanted to be together with him, the only thing blocking it being the petite brunette, whom would be swept under the rug in no time.

Finally the driver she had dropped her off at the now HQ for Stark Industries, the familiar NYC air making her cringe.

This city was god awful.

Walking inside was pleasant though, it was the same mostly. The colors were brighter, more flowers present, different from the icy look and the normal boring green plants that were in the lobby previously. Strange but alright.

A new round of security was present, and now even an executive line was there. Sighing in frustration Pepper went in, putting on the best smile. She didn't recognize the security officer at the front but she was sure it would work. Looking around she noticed all of security was new. When had they redone the protection status.

Her turn in line came and she gave the badge to the woman, who began putting in all the necessary codes.

"Are you new?" She asked to the women.

"Yes, , all of us are new aside from ." the employee stated

"Since when."

"Two weeks, redid all of security. Only best."

"How does he find the best."

"We were all hand picked by Agent Romanov, Colonel Rhodes, and . Then a final approval from before we started. He wanted an increase in the status and quality of all the guards."

Finally she was done.

"Now , may I ask which floor you want to go on."

Pepper pulled out an even nicer camera smile.

"Whichever Tony is on, I haven't seen him since they found him and I feel guilty for not coming sooner."

The women typed in something on the computer,

"I'm afraid that since Miss Swan is on that floor as well, you'll have to wait until my superior checks you in."

Pepper Potts stopped still for a moment, her plan coming to a halt.

"Excuse me? I am the CEO, I am your superior. Why do I need to be checked in anyway?"

Wrong move, the warm smile on the guards face was wiped off immediately.

" is the head of security, and in this company is superior as by the rules set when Mr. Stark's father Howard made it so. As for you're other question, no one is allowed on the same floor as Miss Swan unless they are checked in by either , Romanov, Rhodes, or ." Her voice full of power.

"Why" Pepper said angrily,

" wants the lessen the chance of harm coming to Miss Swan as much as possible, many new protocols have come into play since his return. This is just one of them. Now I ask you to wait by the elevator until you get checked in and a guard comes to take you to see ."

Pepper looked at the woman trying to figure how to persuade her to let her not wait and just go up, but it was clear that wouldn't be an option. So the CEO huffed over and sat on the bench by the elevator. A whole five minutes later she saw Happy walking down the hall toward her.

"Hello Miss Potts." He said in his deep scruffy voice,

"Happy, thank goodness. I thought I would just die waiting here."

"Sorry it took so long, Tony wasn't expecting you."

"I forgot to call last night, thought I'd surprise him."

Happy smiled at his former coworker.

"I'm just so happy he's back, and Isabella's an absolute sweetheart you'll love her."

Pepper just nodded and sighed heavily. She hadn't known that the girl was staying here, had thought she would be at a hotel or something. Why would she be here, her and Tony had nothing. Nothing compared to what had existed before Tony lost his control.

Happy keyed in the elevator.

'Please put your hand on the scanner, and look at the sensor.' FRIDAYs normal icy voice commanded.

"Why?" Pepper asked annoyed

"Its one of Bosses new protocols."

Yes, those damned new protocols.

Pepper decided to play nice for now, and let herself be proven innocent.

The rest of the ride on the elevator was silent.

Mysteriously the elevator didn't make any extra stops on the way up to their destination.

When the ding finally hit signalling arrival, it was like a wave crashing on the sand after a hurricane.

The audience smile came back, and the doors revealed that they were on the common floor.

It was exactly like the lobby had been, almost everything was organized the exact same way, but with brighter colors and plants. Here their were a few paintings, and oh my goodness was that a bookcase. Closely examining the books she found Bronte, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Doyle, there were of course Stephen Hawking, Bruce Banner, and the troublesome books that Tony had poured so much time away from her in.

"Quite a collection."

"I know right, its been a nice touch. Boss just wants to make it really nice for the lady." Happy said cheerfully.

Outside of his sight, Pepper rolled her eyes and gave a little huff. Her perfect plans were becoming more and more damaged as the day kept going.

Looking around there were coffee tables with magazines, a piano in the corner, and the distinct smell of chocolates and coffee beans was in the air.

"Do either of them live on this floor?"

Happy shook his head leading her down the hallway to wherever Tony was

"No, they live up in the penthouse. Boss just wants everything to be really nice. They spend time everywhere really."

Everywhere you could look, there was evidences of more than one person but not more than five.

A door shut in the hallway

"Pepper!" A familiar voice yelled.

Pepper turned and saw the man who she had to be with, and the girl stopping her right behind him. Skinny, that was the first word that popped into her head at the sight of them. You could see too many bones,not enough meat. They still looked lively, and like wild people, Tony had his hair in a ponytail, and though he had shaved the familiar goatee was present.

Isabella, as she hated to admit, while skinny was every bit of beautiful as she had been told. Too pale skin on a too skinny face, short and stubby, but her eyes were big and wide and the most wondrous shade of brown. Her hair was like Rapunzel, went down to her waist and it was obviously would be considered a normal long before the cave, now it rained down her back. It was clear that neither of them had gotten a haircut. Both were wearing expensive, sweatpants, Tony a Black Sabbath shirt, and Isabella a flowery Baby Doll.

Quickly after seeing the two, Pepper was embraced. The smell of grease and a new cologne, how warm yet all at once cold his body was.

"It is so good to see you. What took ya so long?" He said once the hug ended.

Pepper brushed herself off

"You know meetings, corporate heads, Stark Industries."

Tony just shrugged and put his arm around Isabella like it was the most normal thing in the world.

He breathed in deeply, looking at the small young woman next to him, before looking back at her.

"I'd like to introduce you to the love of my life, the very sun in the sky, Isabella Swan."

The girl blushed a heavy scarlet, clutching to Tony tightly.

"Anthony my gosh" She whispered silently, Tony chuckling.

"It is actually an honor to meet you Ms. Potts, Anthony has told me all about you."

Pepper shook the girls hand which was both the size and texture of a small child.

"By the way Tony has just talked about you, the honor is mine." Pepper said.

All she wanted to do was break the tiny hand and make Tony remember who he was in love with.

The skinny brat returned to Tony's embrace, all happy and giggly.

"Its been so long since I've seen anybody."

They landed in the kitchen of the main floor, Tony placing Isabella on the counter, leaving Pepper at the dining table.

"Pep, have you eaten yet."

"Yes, just the normal-"

"-Perfect breakfast. Too bad, we woke up late so me and Isabella are starving."

"I'm alright, but I'm sure I can manage to fit a bit more, What are you guys eating."

Tony began running around reaching for pans and spatulas.

"It depends on whatever Isabella's in the mood for. Someday its normal omelettes, sometimes its buffet style, sometimes its eggo waffles, someday's its even McDonald's or IHOP."

Isabella turned to her, with her big eyes and long dark eyelashes.

"Whatever we eat we have to eat a lot of it," She jumped off the counter, and opening to fridge to take out some milk.

Tony got out a cutting board, before getting a green Bell Pepper and cheese. Isabella pulled out the whisk, ham, and eggs.

"Baby, go sit down. You can rest, while I can cook." Tony said lovingly

"I can cook as well" Isabella protested.

"I know, but wait until you've gained twenty pounds alright"

Isabella surrendered and Tony placed a kiss on her forehead.

Pepper watched in confusion and jealousy at how lovey dovey the two of them were.

Like a Nicolas Sparks novel taking place in front of her eyes.

"So what are you guys having now."

"Omelette I guess." Isabella said going and sitting down at the counter, grabbing a bowl and cracking an egg.

"If you want we can make it fancy and have hash browns too."

"Maybe even make it healthy as well, I could just blend some fruit for a smoothie." Isabella responded smoothly.

He stretched over and placed a peck on her cheek "Brilliant"

"You two work really well together." Pepper said based on her observations.

The two smiled at each other before Isabella turned to the blonde.

"I mean we spent two and a half years in a cave with no one but each other. Anthony and I know how to make it work with just the two of us."

She huffed, and then for the next hour watched and waited as the two of them ate laughing and making conversation so flawed yet all at once perfect it stung to watch them.

Bimbo was ruining everything, no mind, Pepper knew how to handle tough situations.

Once breakfast was finally over, Tony sent his little darling off to rest. She had to heal apparently, spoiled brat.

"Well if you start

"Tony I want to speak with you."

He pressed a few buttons on the Stark Pad adjusting things like temperature, and protection level by the look of it.

"Well you are, and I'm not stopping you." He said gleefully

"I want to get back together."

Tony froze, the smile on his face wiping off, and the light air becoming serious really fast.

He turned to her, and Pepper finally saw all of the damage, the stress, and the confusion of what was happening. She just had to reassure him.

"Excuse me?"

"The two of us, like it was before hand. I miss it, don't you."

The engineer looked at the floor, swallowing thickly.

"C'mon, the brunette isn't that special. She's nothing compared to what I can give to your life. Nothing but a piece of-"

Tony stepped back and looked Pepper dead in the eyes and said in a solemn serious tone.

"No"

Pepper was flustered, this wasn't going the way she planned, just keep going to the goal.

"You can't be serious Tony."

"I'm dead serious , Isabella Swan is the best thing to ever come into my sad life. I love her with every bit of me, true as justice, stronger than lightning. I do remember what we had, and I'm sad that you miss it. But I have found the kind of love that never existed before, so I do not miss what we had. She is so beautiful and so sweet and kind and so much that I could never imagine ending what we have."

He stared at her directly in the eyes a few more moments.

"No, I'm sorry."

Closing the tablet in front of him, Tony drilled past her.

"Happy can show you your way out."

Pepper saw her perfect life become stained with flaw, and she didn't know how to handle it.


End file.
